


Hikikel

by HiyokoDeservedBetter



Series: My self indulgent Hikikel AU [1]
Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Aubrey is a lesbian, Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Not Canon Compliant, The Aubrey/Kel thing is one sided, hikikel au, ooooooh boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28993929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiyokoDeservedBetter/pseuds/HiyokoDeservedBetter
Summary: Kel is a 16 year old shut in who has three days left before he leaves his childhood behind.His dreams are a complicated mess, but they’re all he has to look forward to.At least, that’s before an old friend reconnects with him.
Relationships: Aubrey & Basil & Hero & Kel & Sunny (OMORI), Aubrey/Kel (OMORI), Basil/Sunny (OMORI), Hero & Kel (OMORI), Hero/Mari (OMORI)
Series: My self indulgent Hikikel AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150097
Comments: 37
Kudos: 204





	1. WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikikel spent some time with his friends. Everything was okay.

WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE. 

YOU’VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN REMEMBER. 

In the white space, a black and white boy lay. His messy, pure black hair was growing longer. It contrasted heavily with his pure white jersey, but matched with his pitch black shorts. After a moment, he got up. He looked around him, his surroundings familiar.   
“Bark! Bark!” Hector yapped excitedly. (Waiting for something to happen?) Hikikel ignored him and wandered up to the door. He stared at it, his face blank, almost eerily expressionless. He tried the knob, but no use. It was locked. He slowly started to pad around the endless expanse of white space, side stepping all the snake like hands slithering around. Finally, he finally found what he was looking for; a orange ball, laying in the middle of nowhere. He tucked it under his arm and walked back to the white door, which had since unlocked. He opened the knob and the world abruptly shifted into a peaceful area with his friends, who were playing cards.   
“C’mon little brother, let me look at your hand!” Mari said, laughing. Sunny held his cards even closer, but when he saw Hikikel standing in the doorway, he dropped his cards and wandered over the deck over to him.   
“Sunny!” Basil objected. Sunny looked back and looked a bit remorseful.   
“Aha! Don’t worry Basil. Hikikel’s here!” Mari said with a smile. She got up as well and stood behind her brother. Hikikel moved past them and approached Basil, who had a worried expression on his face.  
“Mmm, hey...” he murmured. “I’m... sorry to bother you, but can you help me find my watering can? I think it’s somewhere around here...” Hikikel nodded and walked casually around the pastel dreamscape. He approached a watermelon and threw his basketball at it, smashing it open. There was Basil’s watering can. He walked back over to Basil, who took the can with a big smile on his face. “My watering can! Where’d you find it?” Hikikel pointed back to the smashed watermelon.   
Mari and Sunny approached them. “It was in a watermelon?” Mari laughed. “Hm, I see. I bet Aubrey was the one who hid it. She and Hero came by earlier to make preparations for the picnic.”   
“W-what?” Basil said, trying to muster up some indignation. He sighed and shook his head. “Good thing Hikikel found it, or my flowers would’ve wilted...”  
“Well, now we’re ready to go!” Mari said, grabbing her brothers hand. Sunny gave a small smile. “Ehe~. I’m excited to see Hero. I bet Sunny’s excited to see Aubrey, too.” Sunny’s ears turned red and he scowled from embarrassment. He didn’t like teasing. Hikikel nodded as the three fell into a line behind him. They went up the rainbow colored stairs and out of the stump.   
“Hey! I’m stuck!” Basil cried, trying to wiggle to get out of the stump he was trapped in. Sunny quickly ran and pulled him out. “Aha... thanks Sunny. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” They looked around the gorgeous VAST FOREST.   
“Cmon you three. We shouldn’t keep Hero and Aubrey waiting!” Mari said with a smile. They got into a neat line, Hikikel in front. They walked peacefully, Basil occasionally commenting on passing flowers. Eventually, they reached the park, and sat down on the bright red picnic blanket. Hero and Aubrey waved with smiles on their face, but Basil’s arms were crossed.   
“Aubrey!” he scolded. “Why’d you hide my watering can? If Hikikel hadn’t found it, all my plants would’ve rotted.” Aubrey stuck out her tongue.  
“Well that’s what you get! You made fun of Mr. Plantegg!” she retorted, cuddling the crude plushie closer to her.  
“Now, now,” Hero said, smiling gently. “Aubrey, it’s not nice to hide things people care about. But Basil, it’s not nice to insult things that mean a lot to people, either.” Aubrey and Basil nodded and looked at each other remorsefully.  
“Sorry for hiding your watering can,” she huffed.   
“Sorry for insulting Mr. Plantegg,” Basil said quietly, looking down at a long sunflower and turning it over in his hands. Mari clapped her hands together happily.  
“Wow! Everyone is happy again! You’re truly a wonderful mediator, Hero.” she said with a bright grin.  
“And an excellent cook!” Aubrey added, her mouth already full with a big bite of a Hero Sandwich. Hikikel nodded and took a big bite of the sandwich to show appreciation for his brother.   
Sunny and Basil were eating while looking at Basil’s photo album, Mari and Hero were working on making a new flower crown for him after his wilted, and Hikikel and Aubrey were sitting next to each other in a comfortable silence. She even rested her head on his shoulder. Everything was perfect.  
After everyone ate, Aubrey got to her feet excitedly.  
“Hey guys! Berly’s about to play a fun game of Hide and Seek!” she said excitedly. Mari looked up from the flower crown she was working on.  
“That sounds like a lot of fun, Aubrey! But I’m sort of busy.” She smiled sweetly at Hero, who turned a bit red. Aubrey gave a sly smile.  
“Right. Looks like the ones playing with the others will be me, Sunny, Basil, and Hikikel.” Hikikel and Sunny nodded in approval, while Basil gave an excited thumbs up. It was always his favorite game, after all. The group walked over to Berly.  
“Hey Berly!” Aubrey called excitedly. “I rounded up a group to play hide and seek!” Berly beamed.   
“Yay!” she cheered, her glasses sliding a bit down her face. “Let’s play!”   
“Who’ll be the seeker?” Basil asked curiously. Berly thought for a second, then beamed.   
“Me and Van will make a killer combo!” she said with a mischievous grin. “The rest of you hide!”  
“Can two people really be the seeker?” Aubrey asked. Berly rolled her eyes.  
“Yeah! It says so in my version of the rules!” she refuted. She pushed up her glasses smugly. “We’ll count to 60. Everyone else, hide!” Aubrey, Sunny, and Basil darted off in three different directions. Sunny hid in a bush, his thin, shadowy figure easily being concealed. Aubrey effortlessly scaled a tree, and grinned cheekily once she reached the top. Then she disappeared in a flurry of leaves. After a bit of hesitating, Basil hid under the red slide. Hikikel had to think. Where would he hide? He got the perfect idea. He sprinted effortlessly toward the mailbox and ducked in. He realized a little too late how dark it was. He closed his eyes, refusing to see what shadowy figure could await him in the dark.   
“READY OR NOT, HERE I COOOOOOOME!” Berly’s shrill voice echoed through the playground. “Basil, did you even try?” Hikikel smiled a small bit. “Mikael, at least try to hide in the tree!” Berly declared more people ‘found’, including Sunny and Aubrey. He was the last one left. He grinned with pride. Finally, after a solid three minutes, Berly and Van gave up, and Hikikel climbed out of the mailbox. He was flooded with congratulations, which he accepted with a nod of approval.   
“Wow! I never would’ve known you were there!” Aubrey chattered excitedly. “You were so sneaky!” Sunny gave him a thumbs up, while Basil gave him a pretty flower.   
“This is an iris.” he explained. “I found it while waiting for everyone to be found. Its often used to deliver a message. And my message is this: you’re a great friend, Hikikel. We all agree.” Sunny and Aubrey nodded, Aubrey’s affectionate grin spread wide. “So I wanted to deliver this to you. To show that we appreciate your companionship.” Hikikel gave a slim smile. This world was perfect. Everyone loved him.   
So why did something feel... off?  
He pushed that thought down as he grabbed the flower and weaved it into his jersey.  
“It looks great on you!” Aubrey said happily.  
“I think Hero and Mari might wanna be alone for a while,” Basil commented drily.   
“Hmph! I’m still going back for seconds!” Aubrey called. After a couple seconds, they heard a scream. Hikikel, Sunny, and Basil all ran toward the source, as did Mari, wielding her jump rope.   
“Oh no,” Basil whispered, flinching back.  
The big, towering bully, Boss, had Aubrey in his grasp.  
“BWAHAHAHA! You all thought you could play hide and seek without ME?” he roared bitterly. “I INVENTED hide and seek! And let me tell ya, it’s not the same without the body slamming!” His laugh was gruff and mean. Hikikel gripped his basketball, Basil tucked in his watering can close to his chest, Mari spun her jump rope fiercely in the air, and Sunny grabbed his violin and bow. Together, the four of them entered into a fight with Boss.   
Hikikel tossed his basketball right at Boss’s face. It stunned him for a moment and Mari was able to whip him with her jump rope fiercely.  
“Put Aubrey down!” she cried in anger. Boss shoved her back and she landed in the dirt, wincing. Basil ran over to her and fed her some healing herbs, helping to raise her health. Sunny played loud, screeching notes on his violin, hurting Boss and making him ANGRY.   
Hikikel blinked in confusion. What was happening?   
“Ugh, Sunny! Now you’ve done it!” Aubrey called from Boss’s arms. “You made Boss ANGRY! He has higher attack, but lower defense. Use it to your advantage, or you’ll be in trouble!”   
Boss let out a big, thundering laugh. “BWAHAHA! You small fry really thought you could defeat ME?! I’ll finish you all right now and here!”   
Boss dealt a spinning blow, hitting everyone!   
Mari became Toast....   
Sunny became Toast....   
Basil became Toast.... 

... 

Hikikel did not succumb.  
“Hey, what’s going on?!” Boss cried, worried. “What’s with this kid? Why won’t he fall?” Hikikel glared sharply at Boss, and then, without warning, he broke into a sprint. He did a high jump and smashed his basketball into Boss’s face, causing him to fall to the floor with a loud THUMP. Hikikel landed on his feet, stumbling slightly as Hero rushed over.   
“Woah. Hikikel! That was awesome!” Hero said excitedly. “You really taught Boss a lesson!” They both looked over at their Toast friends with frowns. “I’ll have to get them fixed up. C’mon!”   
Hero healed your wounds with homemade cooking. You and your friends feel as good as new!  
“Thanks for rescuing me, Hikikel...” Aubrey muttered, staring at the floor. “I should’ve been more careful.”  
“Hey Aubrey, don’t blame yourself! We got a chance to teach that bully a lesson!” Mari replied, wrapping Aubrey into a hug.   
“I’m just glad she isn’t hurt.” Basil said with a relieved smile. Sunny nodded fervently. Aubrey thought for a moment.  
“I guess that’s true... but he got dirt all over my nightgown! I’ll have to go home and change...”   
“We’ll come with you,” Basil offered half heartedly. It was clear he was enjoying the picnic.   
“No, it’s fine. I can take care of myself, you know!”  
“It’s better to travel in pairs.” Hero said thoughtfully. “Someone should at least go with so you don’t get hurt.” Aubrey sighed and rolled her eyes.  
“Fiiiiiine. C’mon Hikikel. I probably trust you the most.” she said, groaning slightly. Hero smiled warmly.  
“I’m sure my little brother will do a great job protecting you!” Hikikel gave his brother a hug before standing up and following Aubrey.   
“I don’t think you’ve ever been to my house before,” Aubrey said thoughtfully once they were out of the others earshot. “Do you know the way?” Hikikel shook his head. “Right. I’ll lead the way, then.” They walked in a comfortable silence, making an effort to dodge any Lost Sprout Moles they happened to see. After a little bit, they stopped at a surprisingly normal, shabby looking house. Aubrey frowned. “You don’t.... have to go in.” she said quietly. She started to walk toward the door, but she saw something odd and shiny looking in the grass. She frowned curiously as she picked it up, and then her eyes widened in horror as she looked at the bloodstained knife.   
“No-! Hero! He’s-!”   
Hikikel was abruptly jerked back to White Space. He scowled. This would be an issue. He looked at his basketball, his gaze darkening. He bludgeoned himself until he couldn’t feel his face. Then he passed out from blood loss, his blood staining the pristine white floors. 

Kel woke up with a choked breath, sweat pouring down his face. He rubbed his eyes. It was the middle of the night. He saw his answer machine was beeping and clicked on the messages button. A message from his mom started to play.   
“Hey sweetie. We got held up at the new house. We’ll be here in 3 days to pick you up. You should say goodbye to your old friends. I’m sure they’ll miss you. I put some steak in the fridge! Be sure to not eat it all! I also have a chores list set out for you. Be sure to do them before we move!” The message ended.   
Kel sighed and climbed out of bed, feeling an eerie feeling all around him. He should probably eat. Even if his moms cooking was 10 times worse then Hero’s. He walked down the hall and to the kitchen. Should he warm up the steak? Nah, eating it cold was fine. Kel turned on the kitchen light. He ignored the knife block, as he had for four years. Instead he used a fork to cut it, and struggled heavily. He was done in a matter of minutes. He only ate if he was told to, so of course he was hungry. He put his plate in the dish washer and silently stumbled back to his room, not bothering to turn the light off. As he was passing through the living room, Kel froze. Was that... a knock?  
“Hey Kel! It’s me, Hero! I’m back from Mari’s! I forgot to grab my key though.... Mind unlocking the door for me?” Kel was rooted in place. Could it be? No, it wasn’t possible. He took a step back. And then another. Soon he was running down the hall. He felt a hand grab his leg.   
No. Not here! Why did it have to appear? He couldn’t... take it. He whirled around, his basketball tucked under his arm. The small, shadowy hand in the floor sprang up, the arm part shark and jagged, like a knife. Kel whimpered and took a step back.  
“No.” he whispered, fighting back tears. “I won’t let you win.” The single, bloodshot eye shot open. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” He threw his basketball at the figure. It effortlessly phased through it. Kel was afraid to close his eyes as he kept backing away, whimpering in fear. He had to battle his inner demons every night, this was nothing new. But every night, it hurt even more then the last.  
“Remember what I taught you?” a voice in the back of his head whispered. “Replace what you’re scared of with something you love.” Kel shut his eyes closed and pictured his little sister. He wouldn’t screw up with her. He’d protect her, and make sure that she wouldn’t end up buried at the church. He loved Sally like he loved Hero. Kel slowly opened his eyes, and the demon was gone. He let out a relieved breath as he cautiously walked to his room. He tucked himself back into bed and remembered to breath as he drifted off, old memories from before the day it all went wrong swirling through his head. 

...

WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE. 

YOU’VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN REMEMBER.


	2. WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikikel spent some time with his friends. Everything was okay.

Hikikel opened his emotionless black eyes, and he was back in White Space. He got up, gripping his basketball under his arm.  
“Bark! Bark!” Hector yapped, wagging his tail. (Waiting for something to happen?) Hikikel approached the door and opened the knob and walked in. Basil and Mari were in animated conversation, while Sunny sat silently next to Mari with a worried frown. As Hikikel walked in, Mari cut off what she was saying and ran over to Hikikel.  
“Hikikel! You’re safe!” she said, relieved. “Hero has been tearing apart the forest looking for you.”  
“Where’s Aubrey?” Basil added hopefully. “She’s gone missing as well. Is she with you?” He peered over Hikikel’s shoulder hopefully. Hikikel shook his head, giving the trio a simple no.  
“But you and her were together,” Mari wondered aloud. “How could’ve she gone missing?” Sunny got up and latched onto Mari’s arm, a worried expression making its way onto his face.  
“We’ll have to check in with Hero and ask if he’s seen her,” Basil said. “I hope we find her soon!” The trio got into a line behind Hikikel. He walked up the rainbow colored stairs and into the realm of the VAST FOREST yet again. They all walked to the park and sat on Hero’s picnic blanket. The moment Hero saw Hikikel, he enveloped him in a massive hug.  
“Little brother, where’d you run off to?” Hero asked, frowning. “When you and Aubrey didn’t return, we were all so worried! But you’re back now! Is Aubrey here?”  
“Sorry Hero, no luck.” Basil replied sadly. “Hikikel doesn’t know where she is either.” That was a lie, even if Basil didn’t know it.  
“We’ve looked over all over the VAST FOREST!” Mari exclaimed, exasperated. “There’s nowhere here she could be hiding.”  
Hero thought for a moment. “Right. Nowhere here. The VAST FOREST isn’t the only place in the world, y’know. As much as a long shot it might be, she could’ve climbed up that big ladder to OTHERWORLD.” He suggested. Sunny stiffened at the mention of a ladder.  
“Sorry Sunny,” Mari said remorsefully. “If there’s even a chance she could be up there, we have to climb. Besides, it’s good to get over your fears!” Mari grabbed Sunny’s hand affectionately.  
“We’ll be with you every step of the way!” Basil added supportively. The three sank into a line yet again and waved goodbye to Hero. Hikikel walked, his friends following right behind him, until what they thought was just a plant popped out of the ground, and the friends entered into a battle.  
“Oh!” Mari said while gripping her jump rope. “This lost sprout mole seems to be HAPPY! When you’re HAPPY, your luck and speed raises, but you land attacks less often. A HAPPY enemy can easily be defeated by an SAD friend!” Hikikel nodded and took note of this new information.  
Hikikel tosses his ball at the Lost Sprout Mole! It deals 7 damage!  
Mari whipped the Lost Sprout Mole with her jump rope! It deals 5 damage!  
Basil showed the Lost Sprout Mole a wilted flower! The Lost Sprout Mole feels SAD…  
“Oh, Basil made the enemy SAD!” Mari said. “SAD enemies have higher defense, lower speed, and loose juice as well as health when attacked! SAD enemies stand zero chance against an ANGRY friend!”  
Sunny played a scale on his violin! The friends were so moved that their ATTACK rose!  
The Lost Sprout Mole bumps into Sunny! He takes 2 damage!  
Hikikel headbutts the enemy! It deals 6 damage!  
The Lost Sprout Mole was defeated! Hikikel’s party is victorious!  
“We won!” Basil said excitedly. “Great job, Hikikel!” The friends continued their walk until they reached the ladder. They were surprised to see Hero, sitting with a wide smile next to the ladder.  
“Hey everyone!” he called, waving. “Have time for a picnic?” They walked over to him and sat down.  
Hero healed your wounds with homemade cooking. You and your friends feel as good as new!  
“I heard you four fought a Lost Sprout Mole,” Hero said with a never wavering smile. “No wonder you all look stronger!”  
“I felt kinda bad, though.” Basil mumbled around a bite of Hero Sandwich. “It looked so similar to a plant.”  
“Hopefully you feel experienced, because there’s gonna be a lot more enemies when you reach OTHERWORLD!” Hero replied.  
“Hopefully we’ll find Aubrey there…” Basil murmured sadly.  
“Aubrey always liked Hero Sandwiches,” Mari said with a weary sigh. “I hope we find her soon.” The picnic ended on a somber note as the four left and began to climb the ladder. Sunny was in between Mari and Basil, both of whom were shouting encouragement to him. Hikikel was silent as he climbed higher and higher. Eventually, the friends reached the top of the ladder, and they reached OTHERWORLD, a massive pastel scape covered with a rich violet sky, the world looking like it was in a perpetual sunset. There was Hero yet again, waiting on the red picnic blanket with an everlasting smile.  
“Hero!” Mari said, hugging him tightly.  
“Sunny wasn’t the only one who was scared.” Basil teased, smiling mischievously. Sunny wiped some sweat and managed to give a small smile.  
“That ladder was massive! Can you blame me?” Mari shot back.  
“Sunny conquered his fear right alongside his three best friends, and Mari got to see why he was so scared of it. I think this was a learning experience for us all!” Hero said, his smile somehow growing wider.  
“Sunny has other fears, too!” Basil reminded. “I doubt those are as easily conquerable!”  
“Well, here’s my two cents,” Hero pointed out, spreading out on the blanket. “Whenever you encounter something you fear, think about something you love.”  
“It’ll be hard to be scared of failure when I’m thinking about Hero!” Mari pointed out. “His strategy works!”  
“I’ll remember that for next time,” Basil murmured, smiling slightly. Hikikel and Sunny nodded, though Sunny seemed to be deep in his head.  
“Well, you four better get back to looking for Aubrey,” Hero pointed out. “My cooking may be delicious, but what’s the point in making it if everyone can’t enjoy it?” The four got back up and waved goodbye to Hero. Hikikel knew any attempts to search for Aubrey would be a useless endeavor. But that was something he was fine with. Anything to spend more time with those who he treasured.  
The four stopped in front of a house.  
“Woah! Is that a spaceship?” Basil asked curiously, peering up at the big metal figure casting a shadow over the house.  
“A really dusty one,” Mari commented dryly. “Wait.. a spaceship…. Oh! This is Captain Spaceboy’s house! Hikikel is a big fan of him!”  
Basil looked at Hikikel and smiled widely, almost unnaturally. “Woah! Wanna meet him, Hikikel?” The thin black and white boy nodded, and he opened the door. There were a lot of bird crew mates scurrying around. One of them looked over at the group.  
“Hey! You can’t just come in here, you know!” the crew mate called. Sunny stuck his tongue out.  
“We’re just here to meet Captain Spaceboy! Our friend Hikikel is a big fan!” Mari replied. Another one of the crew mates cleared his throat.  
“Uh, he goes by Space Ex-Boyfriend now,” he said quietly.  
“Space Ex-Boyfriend? What happened?” Basil asked, echoing Hikikel’s thoughts.  
“After his girlfriend, Sweetheart, broke up with him, he became a shut in, not eating, drinking, talking,” another crewmate explained.  
“You still wanna meet him, Hikikel?” Mari asked, turning her head to address him. “He sounds a bit…. For lack of a better word, washed up.”  
“U-Uh… maybe we could help him get over his breakup?” Basil asked quietly. A crewmate shook his head.  
“He won’t get over it for about two more months at the minimum. At this point the only thing you can do is play Space Ex-Boyfriend’s special mixtape.”  
“It would be nice to make him feel better,” Basil said with a small smile.  
“But what about Aubrey?” Sunny whispered. Only Hikikel heard him.  
“Exactly right, Basil!” Mari praised. “Good deeds always get paid back!” The four approached Space Ex-Boyfriend’s bedroom, and it was a bit messy. As for the captain himself, he was lying under a heap of blankets.  
Basil looked over at the crewmate in the room. “Uh,” he said softly. “Where would Cap- er, Space Ex-Boyfriend’s special mixtape be? We were told it’s the only way to cheer him up.” The crewmate looked over at a dusty bookshelf.  
“It should be on the bottom shelf.”  
“But it isn’t.” Mari said simply. The crewmate gasped.  
“Uh oh. It must’ve gotten thrown out during cleaning. If you really want it, you’ll have to search the JUNKYARD for it.” Basil groaned, but Mari forced a smile through gritted teeth.  
“One good deed, right?” she muttered. “Looks like we’ll have to search for it. To the JUNKYARD we go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty short, and I apologize, but the whole dream world is really big and hard to tackle, so a lot of chapters might be focusing on it, similar to the game.


	3. Time to Wake Up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikikel spent some time in White Space. Everything was okay. 
> 
> ...
> 
> Kel was reunited with an old friend.

The four friends walked to the JUNKYARD, the place easily identifiable by stench alone. Sunny wrinkled his nose. Hikikel was secretly glad for the detour. More time with his friends. The prospect of facing the truth drifted further away. This was an adventure that he’d already experienced a million times, a world’s nooks and crannies already explored. Each time, Hikikel had to hide Aubrey, and the truth, further and further away. That’s how Black Space was created. Suddenly, Hikikel had to stop, as a giant block of garbage blocked the path.  
“What are we supposed to do now?” Mari complained. “None of use are strong enough to break a cube made from steel and dirt!”  
“…I may have an idea.” Basil ventured. Hikikel tagged him, and now the green haired boy was the one leading the party. He poured water on the giant cube, and the dirt inside of it loosened up enough for the hunk of metal and dirt to collapse. Mari and Sunny were surprised by the sight. But not Hikikel.  
“Wow! Good thinking, Basil!” Mari exclaimed with a smile. Basil flushed red as he tagged Hikikel, letting the black and white boy take the lead once again. They walked past the piles and piles of trash. Hikikel had learned to ignore it. He’d just see things that dragged him back to White Space. Sometimes he had to reset the world to keep everyone blissfully unaware. Mari, however, squinted at the piles.  
“There’s so much trash here!” she complained. “The special mixtape could be in this pile of trash and we’d never know!” Hikikel shook his head, his face not showing any sign of the fear burning through his heart.  
“It’s not here.” he said firmly. Hikikel could speak, of course. More often then not, silence was easier. His friends knew everything he wanted to say, so there was zero point. “Let’s not waste time.”  
Basil nodded. “Besides, we’re still looking for Aubrey, remember? We don’t have time to dig through trash.” Mari nodded, and Hikikel kept leading his friends through the maze-like structure of the JUNKYARD. He knew where to go, though. Hikikel always knew where to go, and his friends always followed dutifully behind.  
They quickly reached the center of the maze.  
“The mixtape!” Mari said with a gasp. Lo and behind, a Sprout Mole was standing over the mixtape, trying to grab it. When the Sprout Mole spotted them, it jumped back, then grabbed the mixtape and scurried away through a narrow passage. The four gave chase, and they eventually caught up with the mole, who couldn’t press forward due to a block of steel and dirt in the middle of the road. He was pacing worriedly, and squeaked loudly when the four caught up to him.  
“Give us that mixtape, you thief!” Basil said angrily.  
“T-t-thief? I-I found this m-mixtape! Y-you must’ve thrown it out! F-finders keepers!” he said angrily. They entered into a battle.  
The Sprout Mole is ANGRY!  
Hikikel dunked his basketball onto the Sprout Mole, dealing 13 damage!  
Mari tied up the Sprout Mole with her jump rope, lowering the Sprout Mole’s speed, but also lowering her own attack.  
Basil watered a wilting flower with his watering can, causing it to perk up! Basil feels HAPPY!  
Sunny slashed the Sprout Mole with his violin bow three times, doing 12, 18, and 16 damage!  
The Sprout Mole ran around! Mari was dealt 2 damage! Basil was dealt 1 damage!  
Hikikel COPIED Basil’s emotion! Hikikel felt HAPPY!  
Mari tried to untie her jump rope, only for the Sprout Mole to kick her in the face! Mari took 4 damage!  
Basil whacked the Sprout Mole with his watering can, dealing 8 damage!  
Sunny gave Hikikel an ENCORE!  
Hikikel dunked his basketball onto the Sprout Mole, dealing 38 damage! It hit right in the heart!  
The Sprout Mole was defeated!  
“We won! Now give us back that cassette!” Mari cried angrily. The Sprout Mole burst into tears.  
“N-N-Noooooo!” he wailed. Sunny grimaced. “I-I need this tape! Waaaaaaah!”  
“Not as much as Space Ex-Boyfriend needs it!” Mari replied sternly.  
“B-But the song was so b-b-beautiful!!! I need it so I can confess to my beloved! Hic!” Basil sighed.  
“Fine! Fine! You can keep it!” he said hurriedly, cutting Mari off. “So, uh, stop crying? Please?” The Sprout Mole’s tears instantly faded, and was replaced with a scornful grin.  
“Wow, you kids are certainly some of the dumbest people I’ve ever met!” he cackled. “Thanks for the tape, losers!” Before anyone could stop him, the Sprout Mole leapt over the cube, mixtape in tow.  
“Basil!” Mari scolded. Instantly, the boy recoiled, away from Mari’s scolding words. “Why’d you do that? We’re never gonna see that tape again!” Hikikel blinked, feeling long buried memories resurface, despite him trying to keep them far, far away.  
“Why aren’t you practicing?”  
“Mari needs this to be perfect!”  
“Do you understand how disappointed Sunny will be if you screw up? You’ll be ruining what the three of us worked so hard for!”  
“I’m not letting you have dinner until you get this song perfect!”  
“Let it go, Mari.” Hikikel said firmly. “We have to keep searching for Aubrey.” It would be an aimless quest. He’d buried her, and the truth, far away. Hikikel started walking again. He was aware of Something trailing him, his friends. He walked faster and faster, and he broke into a run. Eventually, he turned around, and realized his friends were gone. His heart started to beat, faster and faster, with fear that wasn’t coming from him.  
Hikikel couldn’t feel fear. So he knew where that feeling was coming from.  
A boy, plagued with an endless amount of it.  
No. This was his world. His stories. That name, those memories, they had no place here. Hikikel wouldn’t let control slip out of his hands. His friends had been forced to discover the truth so many times, and then killed mercilessly, being replaced with slightly fuzzier versions of them. They’d gone from his friends to mere shadows, pale imitations.  
Mari was caring, sassy, funny, attentive, kind, smart, and a perfectionist. Could you tell just from looking at this pastel version? No, because she was dumbed down. A shadow of her real world counterpart. It was the same story with Sunny, Basil, Aubrey, and even Hero. This world was like a book, a book Hikikel was writing. He could change it all he wanted, but at some point he had to realize that he’d strayed too far from what it used to be. He could barely grasp onto those fading memories. He’d spent too much time living in his dreams. But what did it matter? Hikikel knew this wasn’t his head. He didn’t have any say in when he’d stop dreaming. One day Kel wouldn’t be able to remember his friends. One day Hikikel couldn’t replace them.  
Hikikel closed his eyes firmly. He was back in White Space. He felt regret, but he didn’t know if it was coming from him or someone else. The door was gone. It was just him and other things he’d conjured up to help him cope. Instead of waking up, he sat down.  
Whenever Aubrey found the truth, which was always inevitable, the world didn’t completely shatter. Hikikel could hide it from Sunny, Basil, and Mari. Hero always wasn’t far behind, but he never stopped greeting Hikikel with the same smile. The issue was when they found Aubrey. She was a constant reminder of what had happened, and her presence was enough for the truth to spill out like an overfilled cup of water. Hikikel was trying something new this time. His friends couldn’t enter Black Space, so it was the perfect place to stash her so the illusion could be supported.  
But what did it matter? Something always followed him. Hikikel knew the truth, so it could never be forgotten. He looked darkly at his basketball. It was time to wake up.  
A puddle of fresh crimson spilled endlessly over the white floors as more and more blood fell from his face. Hikikel fell to his knees, and felt himself die. 

A ray of sunlight cut across Kel’s face as he opened his eyes. He saw his answer machine beeping.  
“Hey honey! Me and your dad went to a furniture store. Everything was half off! We got a lot of new stuff for the house. Once you get to the house, you can go shopping to decorate your room! Remember, we’ll be there in three day’s time. Try to finish your chores!”  
The message ended, leaving Kel with an empty feeling. He got out of bed and pulled on a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Why did he bother dressing? He was never gonna go anywhere. As he walked to the living room to watch TV and fail to forget, he heard a knock. Kel remembered what he heard last night, and froze. No voice came from the door, so his mind ran through the possibilities. Was he imagining it? Or maybe a late package had arrived. That must be it. Kel went to open the door. Light shone into the house as Kel stared blankly at who was at the door.  
It wasn’t a package, it wasn’t an illusion.  
It was Sunny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Faraway Town segments start next chapter! I dropped hints about what happened to Hero this chapter, but it’s hard to tell what happened just from those parts. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Time to Wake Up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kel sees some old friends again.

Kel hadn’t gone outside in 4 years. To be completely honest, it was a miracle he decided to open the door at all. Maybe that’s why he was so surprised to see Sunny. He thought that his old friends had completely given up on him.  
He rubbed his eyes, trying to see if he was imagining this. Kel had hallucinations similar to this, so maybe he was just imagining it.  
“Sunny?” he asked warily. Sunny waved, his face showing only a slight trace of disbelief. Sunny hadn’t grown all too much. He was certainly taller then Kel, albeit slightly, who’s growth was stunted by his lack of eating. “I- what are you doing here?” Sunny pointed to the For Sale sign, stamped with a bright red SOLD. Kel wasn’t used to deciphering Sunny’s gestures. That was Mari and Basil’s job, and neither were in sight. Kel could guess Mari was in collage, but as for Basil…  
It could be his friendship with Sunny collapsed. That was definitely Kel’s fault. His fault, his fault, his fault.  
“Did you want to see me again before I moved?” Kel guessed. Sunny nodded sagely. “Um- where’s Mari?” Sunny pointed over at his house, then at the road. “Is she at collage? When will she she be back?” Sunny stuck up one finger. Kel realized that Sunny had got better at gesturing with his hands. “Well, that’s fortunate… I’ll be able to see her before I… move.” The truth set in right then. Kel was leaving. “…Right.” He rubbed his eyes, still weary from sleep. “What about Basil?” Sunny was motionless. Instead, he grabbed Kel’s hand and started to drag him along the sidewalk. “W-Wait a minute! Where are we going?” Sunny, unsurprisingly, stayed silent.  
As Kel was dragged along, he realized how much he missed Faraway Town. How much he missed his friends. Eventually, Sunny stopped in front of Hobbeez. From just a quick glance inside, they still sold the same old stuff, which were now covered in a layer of dust. Sunny walked inside without hesitation. He gestured to all the stuff.  
“Ah… do you wanna buy anything from here?” Sunny thought for a moment, then shook his head while pointing at himself, then nodded when he pointed in the general direction of his house. “Oh! You want to buy a gift for Mari! That’s… sweet.” Sunny nodded, the only clue to understanding he was glad that Kel had understood was the more fast, eager way he nodded. His face was still a mask. “Alright, let’s see what we can find.”  
Kel never was one to pay attention to someone’s preferences when it came to gifts. Hero was always the more thoughtful one. But he felt confident he could find something Mari would like. He ignored the video games entirely, knowing Mari hated those. Or at least found them childish. He stood in front of the CDs, squinting at the songs listed on them. He turned them over, reading the genres and artist. Mari liked…. classical music, right? He stared at the starry skied CD case, which read Claire De Lune in big, bold letters.  
“Hey Sunny!” Kel called, his voice booming through the small store. Sunny turned over to him, and Kel waved the CD. Sunny gave a thumbs up without looking at the case, which Kel took as a sign of confidence. Sunny looked at the price tag. “Ah… twenty dollars. Wait… twenty dollars for a CD?” Kel cried in dismay. “Sunny- do you-“ Sunny shook his head. Kel rolled his eyes and dug two ten dollars out of his deep jean pockets. “Right. I’ll cover it. You better pay me back before we move!” Sunny shrugged. I’ll never see that twenty again, huh?  
The two went up to the register and Sunny silently slid the CD onto the desk, and Kel handed the cashier the twenty dollars. They checked out and Sunny carried the CD with his pale arm. “I’m sure Mari will love it,” Kel said with a reassuring smile. Sunny shrugged again. “Uh- do you need to go anywhere else?” Sunny shook his head. “Well… I’d like to see Faraway Town before we move. See everyone else again. See some old places we used to go to.”  
Now it was Kel’s turn to drag Sunny, and he did just that as the two walked to Faraway Park. The memories felt bittersweet, but it was better to remember them then to forget about them altogether. “Woah, a vending machine,” he commented enviously. “I wonder if I can still get an Orange Joe from there?” Kel approached the vending machine, Sunny right beside him, but as Kel was digging through his pockets, he heard a loud, angry yell.  
“So? That was four years ago! Quit dwelling on the past, loser!” a familiar voice snarled.  
“I’M the loser, huh? Better a loser then a VANDAL!” a loud, quivering, yet enraged voice shot back. Sunny stiffened and walked into the park. Kel hurriedly followed right behind him.  
For a second, he thought it was a scene from his dream. A taller, angry Basil, with green hair that shined in hues Kel never knew existed. That was really Basil…? There was another girl. A girl with a long, fluffy mane of black hair that was pinned back into a ponytail with a bright pink bow. She was wearing a baggy gray sweatshirt with a brand logo nestled on the corner, as well as denim shorts.  
“…Oh.” Kel said quietly. Aubrey and Basil had changed, and not for the better. They were yelling and all red in the face. It looked really bad. If Hero were here…  
“Ugh! I’m a different person then when I was twelve! I’ve made… mistakes.” Aubrey’s voice faltered. “And I’ve already apologized! So can it already, you’re boring me.”  
“Your selfish actions were almost irreparable! Imagine what Kel would say if you saw what you did to the only memories we had left of Hero!” Kel felt his heart sink. He knew what this was about. Did Aubrey really…?  
“Kel hasn’t left his house in four years! He doesn’t care about us! Why would he care about a bit of sharpie?!” Aubrey screamed. Kel took a breath. And when he still couldn’t move, he took another. Then he took several steps at a time, not making any effort to be silent. Sunny hung back, his face still a veil of neutrality. The two were so wrapped up in their argument they didn’t see Kel.  
“I’d appreciate if you didn’t put words in my mouth,” he said with a slight smile, shrugging. The two jumped and stared at Kel like they just saw a ghost.  
“Is that it?” Basil said coldly. “This is the first time you’ve spoken to us in FOUR YEARS, and THAT’S all you have to show for it?!” Aubrey just looked alarmed, and a little scared, but her defiant gaze was trained on Basil.  
“He was mourning! Unlike you. You only care about yourself, because your heads too big to see anything else!” she said, arms crossed. Basil swung his shovel suddenly, a thing Kel didn’t even realize he was carrying, and hit Aubrey hard in the arm. She stumbled over her untied shoelace as she fell and landed on her side. She cradled her arm, sniffling quietly.  
“What do you want?” Basil snarled, his sky blue eyes narrowed with an expression Kel thought he’d never see on Basil: hate. “I don’t have any business with a pathetic shut in.” Sunny silently walked to Kel’s side, staring blankly at Basil.  
“Oi, it’s not nice to… hit people! With a shovel! Why… are you using that, anyway?” Kel objected.  
“It’s not nice to abandon your friends, but guess what you did?” Basil sneered. Kel grimaced.  
“Quit being such a jerk! Aubrey didn’t do anything!” Kel cried. It wasn’t a lie. He was able to tell the truth, even if he could never tell anyone that it was, in fact, true.  
“Like you’d know.” Kel shifted uncomfortably under Basil’s sharp gaze. Sunny silently shifted past the two arguing boys and helped Aubrey up, who was still gripping her arm. “It’s a lot more complicated then a middle school dropout could ever comprehend.” Kel felt anger coursing through him like a burning tide. Instead of doing all the horrible things he knew he was capable off, he walked over to Aubrey.  
“You okay?”  
“Think I bruised my arm, but I’ll live.” she said with a pained smile. “Thanks for helping me up, Sunny.” Basil seemed to only just notice Sunny was there, and he snorted.  
“Oh, sure!” he screamed. “Hang out with the vandal and the creep!” Sunny’s emotionless mask seemed to slip off as he took on a glare so stormy even Kel had to take a step back.  
“You can’t control who Sunny hangs out with, you manipulative jerk!” Aubrey retorted, crossing her arms with a slight wince.  
“Says the brat who has dirt in her hair.” Basil said jeeringly. Aubrey turned as pink as her bow and shook her head fiercely, specks of dirt flying out of her hair. She stood there, smoldering in silence as she searched for what to say. “Aw, what’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Hope he rips it out.” Basil said with a cruel laugh. Kel let out a huff.  
“Both of you better shut up and calm down before you say MORE things you don’t mean.” Kel yelled sternly, causing Aubrey to shut her mouth as she got ready to fire back at Basil. “Cmon, you two used to be friends! Why can’t you two… I dunno, make up?” Hero was always the mediator of the group. Kel was clearly horrible at it. Basil snorted.  
“I refuse to make up with Aubrey after she defaced my personal property. Much like how I refuse to make up with you after you left us all behind.” he said with an angry scowl. Then he quickly stormed off.  
“I don’t… get it. What happened between the two of you?” Kel asked quietly.  
“He just likes to constantly reopen old wounds, you shouldn’t mind him,” Aubrey said, giving Kel a significant look. Right, he should shut up. “What made you decide to come out of your house?” Kel shrugged.  
“Seeing Sunny at my door was a pretty big motivator,” he replied. “It would be nice to see my old friends again before I move… plus, Mari’s coming back from collage tomorrow. I kinda wanna greet her.” Aubrey’s face fell.  
“Wait, you’re moving?”  
“Yeah? The big FOR SALE sign is actually kinda difficult to miss.” Aubrey frowned, a troubled look on her face. Sunny suddenly perked up, and he tapped Kel’s shoulder. He turned to him curiously, and Sunny started to point in the direction of his house.  
“He wants us to go over to his house,” Aubrey explained knowingly before Kel could even start to puzzle out the meaning behind his gestures.  
“Oh! Sure, I guess.” Kel said, scratching his arm. “Huh… I wonder how your house has changed in four years…” he said pensively.  
“It’s a house,” Aubrey pointed out. “How much has your house changed in four years?”  
“Fair point,” Kel replied, grinning. Suddenly, he felt a wave of unrelenting guilt, slamming him so hard he nearly fell over. He didn’t… deserve this. And from the way Aubrey looked at him with a burning glare, it was clear she felt the same. Kel sighed, feeling exhausted. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Kel struggled to keep the same cheer in his voice.  
The three friends started to walk along the sidewalk, exchanging small talk. Kel and Aubrey were side stepping around anything to do with Hero, but that wouldn’t be obvious unless you knew what they knew.  
“When are you moving away?” Aubrey asked.  
“Mom and Dad are coming to pick me up in three days,” Kel replied with a shrug. “So, yeah, three days, I guess.” Aubrey nodded slowly, her frown widening. Kel could tell what she was thinking without her needing to speak. Coward.  
“And you said Mari is coming back from collage tomorrow?” Aubrey mused. “Well, it certainly would be nice to see her again.”  
“I’ve… missed her.” Kel agreed. He hadn’t seen her in four years, but, of course, who’s fault was that? It was his. It was always his. He sank into a silence, and Aubrey didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation. So, Kel found himself standing in front of Sunny’s house, staring up at it silently.  
“It’s been awhile for us both,” Aubrey commented, breaking the silence. Sunny opened the door and motioned for the two to come inside.  
As Kel entered, he saw a blur of black shoot off the couch, meowing curiously. Next thing he knew, Mewo was purring loudly as she rubbed against his legs. She’d definitely gotten older, as he noticed gray mixed in with her black.  
“Aw, hey girl,” he said quietly, scratching her gently behind the ear. “I missed you.” Sunny looked down at Mewo with affection in his eyes, and even if he stayed cliff-faced, Kel noted that this was as close he’d gotten to a smile. Sunny’s dad was on the couch, seemingly immersed in a newspaper. When the trio entered, though, he raised his head.  
“Kel?” he said, stunned. Kel gave a half hearted wave to Sunny’s dad, someone who he never liked all that much. “You haven’t been out of your house in four years! It’s great to see you!” Kel started to scratch at his arm again. “Oh! Right. Sunny, Mom wants you to help with dinner.” Sunny nodded after a moment and walked away to the kitchen. Kel took a breath.  
“Right, well, let’s go up to Sunny’s room until he’s done, then.” he suggested. Aubrey responded with a tense nod. The two walked up the stairs and sat down on the floor. The room hadn’t changed all that much. It was the same as always, which Kel found both comforting and unnerving.  
“Kel.” Aubrey said quietly. “We need to talk.” Kel felt a shiver down his spine, but he turned to Aubrey anyway.  
“Yeah, I knew you’d want to eventually. We’re all alone now, right? So… what’s bothering you?”  
“Oh, what’s bothering me? Maybe the fact you’re moving away? Maybe the fact that I had to suffer for four years for a decision you made? About- about-“ Aubrey’s voice broke off, but Kel still knew what she wanted to say.  
“I don’t have any choice on the moving part.” Kel replied flatly. “You chose to take the blame for the photo album. And I’m not willing to talk about… him.”  
“It’s been four years!”  
“And I’ve suffered every day.” They fell into a silence.  
“Is it… because of Something?” Aubrey said quietly. Kel scratched at his arm again. “Something behind you?” He grimaced as he felt his gaze wander to Mari’s full length mirror. Sure enough, Something was looming behind him. Sure enough, it was behind Aubrey as well.  
“Aubrey- I can’t.” he said bluntly. “I don’t care how long it’s been, I’m still not ready.” Kel got up, and Aubrey started to panic.  
“No,” she pleaded. “No, no, please. Don’t leave me again.” Kel closed his eyes and walked out, aware of Aubrey’s Something staring at him while he left. He’d just make an excuse. Kel was good at that. He made his way to Sunny’s kitchen and tugged on his sleeve.  
“Um- hey. I gotta- I gotta go. I have some packing and chores and, uh, stuff I gotta take care of, so I can’t stay.” Sunny just nodded, not even turning to face Kel as he scrubbed the dishes. “Um- thanks. For coming to my house. It was… nice. To get some air. I’ll- I’ll come out again tomorrow. I promise.” Sunny turned to him, surprised, but after a moment, he nodded, a ghost of a smile slipping through. Kel smiled back, then quickly slipped out the door.  
Coward.  
Kel got back to his house. Instead of packing or cleaning, he laid down on his bed, staring at his ceiling.  
...Oh, god… Aubrey hates me… ugh- why can’t she just get over Hero’s death? Same reason I can’t, maybe…  
Kel buried his face in his hands. But he didn’t cry. Instead, Kel tucked himself underneath his covers, deciding to go to bed, to forget about his troubles in this world.  
Kel had decided to take the easy way out. 

WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE. 

YOU’VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN REMEMBER.


	5. WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikikel spent some time with his friends. Everything was okay, except when it wasn’t.

Hikikel opened his eyes. The silence of White Space was sometimes comforting, but today it was deafening. He grimaced and forced himself to stand, gripping his basketball under his arm. Hikikel silently walked to the door that seemed so out of place, ignoring Hector’s loud energetic barks. He opened the door and entered NEIGHBOR’S ROOM, leaving the eerie void of White Space behind.  
Today, Hikikel would spend time with his friends. Everything would be okay.  
“Hikikel!” Mari said with a wide smile. “It’s great to see you!” Basil was showing Sunny a passage in a book, but when Hikikel entered, the book was cast aside, forgotten.  
“Hey Hikikel,” Basil said with a shy smile as Sunny beamed and waved happily. “It’s great to see you…”  
“Now that you’re here, we can continue looking for Aubrey!” Mari said, pushing back some long black hair from her eyes. Sunny nodded determinedly, contrasting Hikikel’s scowl. After a moment, though, he nodded as well, and let everyone fall in line behind him. They climbed out of the stump and back into the VAST FOREST.  
“We already searched all of JUNKYARD and OTHERWORLD while you were gone.” Basil explained quietly. “No luck. We’ll have to go talk to Hero and see where else to look.” The four walked to the park and sat on Hero’s picnic blanket, too gloomy to truly enjoy his offerings.  
“Hey everyone!” Hero said, a cheerful smile on his face despite it all. “No sign of Aubrey, huh…?” He dug a map out of his picnic basket and spread it out, and everyone huddled around it, looking at the massive colorful landscapes of Headspace. Hero pointed to a section of the map labeled Sprout Mole Village. “That right there should be your next stop. It’s called Sprout Mole village. I’m sure you can guess what populates it.” he said with a charming smile.  
“Do you really think Aubrey is there…?” Mari asked hesitantly.  
“It’s worth looking, right?” Hero pointed out. “We all miss Aubrey very much. That’s why we have to find her. No stone should go unturned!” Sunny nodded resolutely as the four got to their feet.  
“Next time we see you, Aubrey will be with us,” Basil promised. And so, the four friends were off again, aimlessly wandering through a new area; Sprout Mole Village.  
“Hey, hi, hello!” Mari called, bounding over to four Sprout Moles holding tickets. “Have you seen our friend? She kinda looks like me, but shorter, with a pink bow and a teal nightgown!” One of the Sprout Moles rolled their eyes.  
“Don’t act like you’re here for something else!” they insisted haughtily. “We know you just want to steal our front row tickets!”  
“Huh…?” Basil said hesitantly. “Front way tickets to what?”  
“Now you’re playing dumb!” another snapped. “We won’t give up these tickets after we sold our souls for them! Sprout Moles, attack!”  
Four Sprout Moles attack!  
Hikikel rebounds his ball, dealing 14, 18, and 21 damage to every Sprout Mole!  
Mari whips a Sprout Mole with her jump rope, dealing 29 damage! It hit right in the heart!  
Basil watches as a Sprout Mole tramples a plant! Basil feels ANGRY!  
Sunny slashes every Sprout Mole with his bow, dealing 9, 17, and 14 damage!  
The Sprout Moles were defeated!  
“Nngh… this power!” one Sprout Mole said.  
“Ow…” another one whimpered.  
“Fine, you can have our tickets! Please, just leave us alone!” a third one pleaded. The friends hesitantly grabbed the tickets.  
“Well, that wasn’t helpful.” Mari muttered. “What are these for, anyway?”  
“Sweetheart’s quest for hearts?” Basil read aloud. “Weird, these are front row tickets…”  
“Well, with tickets so valuable, we might as well see what it’s about,” Mari said with a shrug. Hikikel gave a hesitant nod, while Sunny frowned in annoyance. “Cmon!” she motioned, letting Hikikel tag her so she could lead the way. “It’ll be fun Sunny! Don’t give me that look!”  
The group made it to the theater and handed their tickets to the clerk.  
“Enjoy the show!” he called, waving his… feet. Basil gave a shy thumbs up in response. The four sat in front row seats, and the show started.  
“Hello everyone! And welcome to yet another episode of Sweetheart’s Quest For Hearts!” the emcee called, his voice echoing through the theater. “Today, we have three more bachelors -and bachelorettes- who attempt to seduce the one, the only, Sweetheart!” All the Sprout Moles in the theater cheered at the mere mention of her name.  
“I love you, Sweetheart!” one called. The three contestants came out with jealous cheers. As the emcee began to spout out some more lines, the four friends exchanged confused looks.  
“It’s a… dating show.” Basil said, unenthused.  
“It’s a dating show!” Mari echoed, clapping her hands together with a smile. “How interesting! I wonder what Sweetheart is gonna be li-“ Suddenly, Mari cut herself off as the lights unexpectedly flickered out.  
“Huh?” Shrill Sprout Mole voices echoed throughout the theater. “What’s happening?” After a couple seconds, the power flooded back on.  
“Hello everyone!” the emcee called. “We truly apologize for the power outage! T’was naught but an issue backstage! Don’t worry! Oh dear…” It had seemed that the emcee had noticed the dead body of Contestant Number Three. “Well, it seems like we have a free contestant slot!” the emcee called as two guards moved the body away. “Who wants to be on the show?!”  
“Me!”  
“I’d do anything!”  
“Oh please pick me!”  
The emcee ignored the beggars and pointed to Mari. “You shall be contestant number three!” he announced. Mari immediately turned bright red.  
“Me? But- I- Hero-“ Basil grabbed Mari’s arm with a mischievous smile.  
“C’mon Mari, it’ll be fun! Besides, not like Sweetheart would pick you anyway!” Mari gave Basil a deadpan glare.  
“You know I can’t say no to you, Basil. Fine.” Mari stood up and walked to the stage, looking disgruntled but confident.  
“Well, now we have all our contestants! Time to introduce them!” the emcee cheered. “Contestant number one likes comics, video games, and white knighting on the internet! Contestant number two likes cooking and cleaning! And contestant number three likes… uh…”  
“Baking, flower arrangement, and playing the piano,” Mari supplied.  
“Baking, flower arrangement, and playing the piano!” the emcee echoed. “Now that our contestants have been introduced, it’s time to bring out the goddess herself, Sweetheart!”  
And there she was, basked in a bright spotlight, in the middle of the stage. Her grin was as smug as her hair was pink.  
“Ohohohoho! On your knees before your queen!” Sweetheart bellowed. Immediately, every Sprout Mole went wild, practically cheering up a storm. Sunny’s expression was unnerved, and one quick glance at Basil confirmed he felt the same. “Ah, right, the matter of contestants…” She started pointing to each of them, her face bored as she did so. “Too ugly and short, too puny and submissive, and-“ She trailed off once she looked at Mari. “…ohohoHOHOHO!” Sweetheart cackled. “Why, what do we have here?!” Mari looked pretty uncomfortable. “Why, THIS contestant… she’s tall, kind, and pretty! Absolutely worthy of someone like me! What is your name?”  
“Mari,” she said, looking up nervously at Sweetheart.  
“Mari,” Sweetheart breathed, her expression enthralled. Mari squirmed uncomfortably under Sweetheart’s gaze. “I shall pick her!”  
“Well, ladies and gents, for merely the second time this shows history, Sweetheart has picked a significant other!” the emcee cheered. All the Sprout Moles cheered excitedly.  
“Oh no.” Sunny said simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also my personal head canon is that Sweetheart met Captain Spaceboy via her show. Also Sweetheart is pansexual and you CANNOT change my mind


	6. WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikikel spent some time with his friends. 
> 
> Nothing will ever be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa this is late I’m sorry,,, don’t worry though! I have a clear bias toward the real life segments, so that won’t be late! Also, we reached 100 kudos! Thank you for the support!

“Wait, significant other?” Mari said. “Uh- sorry, you seem really nice, but- uh-“ Mari seemed to be stumbling for words.  
“Ohohohoho!” Sweetheart said, barreling right over her. “Finally, someone worthy of my love! Come along, dear Mari.” Basil and Sunny got up with defiant glares, Hikikel alongside them.  
“No!” Mari said defiantly, taking a step back. “Like I said, I’m sure you’re a kind person and all, but I’m not exactly a bachelorette. Back off, okay?” Sweetheart’s smug grin turned to a stormy scowl in practically a second.  
“Oho? OhohoHOHOHO! You DARE defy my will?” Sweetheart yelled. Mari’s glare was cold and unrelenting.  
“Leave Mari alone!” Basil said firmly. “If she doesn’t want to date you, then back off!”  
“Ohohohoho!” Sweetheart cackled. “No, Mari is the love of my life, and she’s coming with me, whether she likes it or not! Guards, seize her!” Sprout Moles began pouring out from backstage and restrained Mari, despite her desperate struggling. Sunny immediately sprinted onto the stage, despite him never being one for physical activity. Basil followed closely behind, and Hikikel picked up the pace.  
“Let Mari GO!” Basil objected, dashing toward the guards who swarmed Mari. Sweetheart batted Basil back with her mace, and he landed on the stage floor with a thump. Sunny skidded to a stop, giving conflicted looks between his sister and his best friend. Hikikel tossed his basketball toward one of the guards, who popped it with his spear.  
“No!” Mari wailed. “Sunny!” Sunny made a split second decision and ran toward Mari. Sweetheart gave a smug, mocking smile, and hit a red button labeled DUNGEON. Hikikel… doubted that was good.  
Suddenly, the ground gave way from the three boys. Sunny desperately kicked his legs in the air with a wail as they fell down into the dungeon, wincing as they landed on a stack of hay that barely softened the blow. The three rolled onto the stone floor. Sunny immediately got to his feet.  
“MARI!” Sunny screamed, holding the cell bars. His voice was heartbroken and desperate and terrified. Basil winced to hear his friend in pain. “MARI!”  
“What do we do?” Basil whispered, heartbroken.  
“We escape.” Hikikel answered simply. “And get Mari back.” Basil nodded resolutely.  
“Right, right…” Sunny whispered, trying to wipe away the still flowing tears.  
“Don’t worry, Sunny,” Basil said reassuringly. “We won’t leave without Mari. Hero would probably kill us, aha…”  
Hikikel grabbed Sunny’s hand and brought him to his feet. Sunny stared into Basil’s sky blue eyes, and then back into Hikikel’s endless black eyes. He slowly nodded, and he and Basil funneled into a line behind Hikikel. Hikikel stared at the jail cell door contemplatively. There was a lock on the inside of the door, which was kinda counterproductive, but whatever. Hikikel turned to the lumpy hunk that was supposed to be a bed, but looked more like a pile of rocks. Oh wait, it was… He dug through the rocks and grabbed a metal key, looking at it.  
“Ah, now we can leave!” Basil said with a small smile.  
“Let’s go.” Sunny muttered. Before they left, though, Hikikel shifted through the pile of hay they landed on and dug out a shiny new basketball.  
He walked over to the door and opened it, the door automatically creaking open. Hikikel gestured to the opening almost dramatically. Basil chuckled slightly, but Sunny’s face still wore the expression of grim determination.  
The three walked out and started walking around the dark, eerie dungeon. Hikikel ran his hand along the cold stone wall, feeling his hand grow numb as he held his hand along the wall.  
“We have to get out of this dungeon, I think…” Basil said hesitantly. “Mari is probably wherever Sweetheart lives… wherever that is.” Hikikel nodded thoughtfully. The three wandered through the dungeons, Sunny wearing a fierce scowl. As they wandered, a Sprout Mole with a axe tapped to his side wandered by.  
“Hey!” he protested. “Prisoners! What are you doing out of your cells?”  
You entered into a battle with MARSHA!  
Sunny is ANGRY…  
Hikikel did a SLAM DUNK! He dealt 19 damage!  
Basil points out that the axe MARSHA has is actually pretty useless. MARSHA feels SAD…  
Sunny SLASHES the enemy with his bow! He dealt 41 damage! It was a moving attack! It hit right in the heart!  
MARSHA was defeated!  
“Don’t tell Sweetheart about this.” Hikikel warned with a dangerous glare. MARSHA let out a yelp as the duct tape holding the axe slid off. Now MARSHA was just a SPROUT MOLE. The SPROUT MOLE ran away…  
“Let’s carry on…” Basil said quietly, grabbing Sunny’s hand unconsciously.  
“I miss Mari,” he whispered, his eyes tearing up. The three kept wandering until they went into a room, where Hero was humming as he spread out on a blanket.  
“Hey everyone! Don’t feel down!” Hero called.  
“But… Mari’s gone…” Sunny sniffled.  
“That’s okay! All you have to do is find her!” Hero said encouragingly.  
“You… you aren’t mad?” Sunny asked quietly.  
“Of course not! I’ll help you on your journey every step of the way,” Hero soothed. “Now, eat up!” He poked Sunny’s shoulder with a Hero Sandwich. “You can’t save Mari on an empty stomach!”  
Hero healed your wounds with homemade cooking! You and your friends feel as good as new!  
“Well, I’ll see you guys later!” Hero called. The three friends wave. Hikikel felt a pang at leaving Hero… alone, like he wasn’t safe.  
But those thoughts were always irrational. Hero was always on the picnic blanket, greeting everyone with a warm smile.  
Hero was always right where Hikikel left him.  
The three friends walked in silence, though Hikikel noticed that Sunny had calmed down.  
Sunny is no longer ANGRY.  
Eventually, the three stopped in front of a staircase with light filtering through.  
“Through here might be the right way to go…” Basil suggested quietly. Hikikel nodded and walked up the stairs. Sunny and Basil hurriedly followed. When they reached the top, the world was an absolute explosion of pink, a drastic tone shift of the world they were in a moment ago. Hikikel knew this was SWEETHEART’S CASTLE. Sunny rubbed his eyes disgruntledly.  
“Woah, so pink.” Basil said, looking around. “I bet Aubrey would really like this place.” The smile in his face became sad, and he chose to fiddle with the buckle on his overalls. Hikikel crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. Sunny suddenly perked up. He tugged on Basil’s sleeve.  
“Ah? What is it, Sunny?” Basil asked, tilting his head. Sunny was silent for a moment, his gaze surprisingly bitter.  
“This is… Sweetheart’s Castle, right?” he mumbled. “So- then-“  
“Mari must be here.” Hikikel finished for him. Basil widened his eyes.  
“You really think so?” he asked. Sunny nodded, his gaze grim and determined. Hikikel started walking again, the other two straight behind.  
“Hm, if Mari isn’t in the dungeon, where would she be?” Basil mused. Sunny stopped for a moment, causing Basil to bump into him.  
“Room?” he said hesitantly. “Maybe?” Hikikel nodded.  
“It would be a good place to start, at least.” he said thoughtfully. He gestured toward the two to keep walking, and they obliged. They endlessly searched the blinding castle, stumbling across the occasional Sprout Mole. They were dealt with swiftly.  
Sunny stopped in front of a massive marbled arch with a door under it. He tugged on Basil’s sleeve and pointed to the door. Basil cast an unsure glance toward Hikikel, who approached the door and opened it, his face not betraying anything. The room they entered was massive, with equally massive bathroom and walk in closet branching off from the bedroom. Next to a chair, Mari was tied up with her own jump rope, glowering toward the towering Sweetheart statue near her. When the trio entered the room, she perked up immediately, her scowl turning into a smile.  
“Sunny!” she said excitedly, trying to get up but giving up almost immediately. Sunny widened his eyes and ran over to Mari, frowning as he stared at her knotted mess of a jump rope. You could tell it was tied up by an incompetent Sprout Mole. Hikikel strode over and untied it after about a minute of struggling. Mari grabbed her jump rope and dusted herself off with a smile.  
“Thank you!” she said happily. Then her smile turned bitter. “Uh- Sweetheart should be out of her closet any minute now, we might wanna-“  
“OhoHOHOHOHO!”  
The friends took a step back, exchanging uneasy looks. Sweetheart twirled out of the closet, her dress the same but her hair down and curled. Her smug smile turned to a scowl as she observed the scene.  
“I meant it when I said I didn’t wanna date you, you know.” Mari said, arms crossed. Sweetheart smiled coldly, twirling her mace ominously. Hikikel got into a battle stance, knowing what would come next.  
SWEETHEART draws near!  
Hikikel rebounds his ball off the wall! SWEETHEART takes 56, 78, and 64 damage! It hit right in the heart!  
Mari whips SWEETHEART with her jump rope! SWEETHEART takes 49 damage!  
Basil sees a wilted flower! Basil feels SAD…  
Sunny gave Hikikel an ENCORE!  
Hikikel used COPY! Hikikel feels SAD…  
SWEETHEART admires herself in the mirror! SWEETHEART’S attack rose!  
Several turns later…  
The friends band together for an ULTIMATE ATTACK! SWEETHEART takes 400 damage!  
“OHOHO…ho? You’ve… defeated me?”  
Sweetheart took a step back. And then another. During the battle, a bit of the wood floorboard had snapped, and Sweetheart stepped right on it, causing the ground to crumble under her. Mari’s eyes widened.  
“Watch out!” she cried. It was too late, though. Sweetheart fell into a gaping black hole that had seemingly no bottom. Mari ran to the edge of the hole and stared with a remorseful expression. Hikikel took a slight breath and walked to Mari’s side, staring into the hole.  
It’s a long way down… would you like to jump?  
>>Yes  
No  
Hikikel fell. Fell. Fell. His friends eventually drifted away as he landed into an underground library. There were faded books with smeared words, only brief snatches of words visible. One book was pulling him toward it. He flipped through it until he found the one passage that was untouched.  
“XXX was jealous. He was forking over all his money for his best friend. It was a decision he made on his own, granted, but… ugh, okay. He really, REALLY, wanted to play an instrument! Not a violin, obviously. Maybe something louder. Ooo, ooo, maybe a trumpet! So, at around two weeks away from his birthday, XXX started pestering his brother, XXXX. On March 3rd, XXX’s birthday, he was taken to the local instrument store. XXX picked out a shiny new trumpet, and XXXX picked out a saxophone. XXXX and X were more then delighted to hear this, and hastily signed them up for the same recital they were performing at. Now the two brothers were stuck learning a song they didn’t even pick out. XXXX was delighted. XXX, less so. But he has begged for this trumpet. So it wasn’t a burden. It could even be considered a blessing.”  
The pages were ripped up by furious hands. That memory would be forgotten, as it should have been long ago. Hikikel’s teeth were grit as he walked toward a hole in the wall, where he saw…  
Aubrey. But as she turned to face him, SOMETHING reached out toward him from behind her and brought him back to White Space. The door was gone.  
So, Hikikel died.  
And Kel woke up.


	7. Time to Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kel reunites with an old friend, and bickers with another. 
> 
> He almost dies, but that’s not important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has come to my attention that Kel’s birthday is not March 3rd.  
> However, I won’t change that due to story convenience, so y’all will have to deal with a bit more canon divergence.  
> Also, I managed to update this story on time, yaaaaaay,,,,,

Kel rubbed his eyes, grasping slightly at his thin brown hair. He sat up. Normally when he woke up, he couldn’t wait to get back to sleep. But he had something to look forward to now, right? He had… friends.  
He pulled on a white long sleeved shirt, then grabbed an old jersey that still fit him. He grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on. He could try to run a brush through his hair, but there was no brush strong enough to handle his hair. Kel forced a smile at the thought. Suddenly, he heard a loud knocking from the front door. Kel booked it down the stairs and skidded to a stop in front of the door. He opened it eagerly, but instead of Sunny, there was… Basil.  
“Stop looking at me like that!” he snapped. He muttered a string of profanities that Kel just barely picked up as he shoved a book of some sort into Kel’s arms.  
“Basil? Why are you here? What is this?” he asked, staring at the leathery cover. Basil huffed in annoyance.  
“Turn it over, dumba-.” he said impatiently.  
“Watch your language,” Kel muttered, cutting him off as he turned over the book. ‘Basil’s Memories’ were scrawled in neat, curvy letters on the front. “Wait- your photo album?” he said in disbelief. “Why did you give this to me?” Basil looked embarrassed and stared at his shoes.  
“You’re moving away, so, I just thought, uh...” he stuttered, starting to turn red. Kel raised an eyebrow as he waited for an answer. “Can you shut it?!” Basil snarled. “I’m giving it to you because I couldn’t care less about any of you!” Kel narrowed his eyes.  
“Why would you think I’d take any better care of it?”  
“Burn it, trash it, I don’t care. I just thought... you’d still want these memories.” Basil’s eyes watered a bit.  
“Well, you clearly don’t.”  
“Whatever. Stay out of my way. You don’t know what Aubrey did. If you did, you’d know she deserves it.” He stormed off, getting the last word. Kel held the photo album under his arm, his face conflicted. Kel took one step toward Sunny’s house, but he heard the house’s door open. That was pretty good timing.  
Kel locked his house’s door and slowly took a few steps. Sunny made it into Kel’s yard, clearly surprised to see the boy already out. Kel fired off a quick wave with a forced smile, then waved the photo album in the air.  
“Hey!” he called, bounding over to Sunny. He raised a curious eyebrow as he stared at the leathery case. “Oh, this? Basil gave it to me. I’m just as surprised as you, you know.” Sunny looked thoughtful. “Mari comes back today, right? Maybe we could look through the photos album with her?” Kel ventured. Sunny nodded, pleased that Kel had remembered. He tugged on Kel’s sleeve and pointed to the Town Square, and waved a 20 dollar bill. “Shopping?” A small nod. “Okay. You lead the way.”  
Sunny and Kel walked through some neighborhoods until they reached the fairly busy town square. Most of the faces there were unfamiliar. Sunny suddenly stopped outside of Gino’s, and tugged on Kel’s sleeve.  
“You wanna go inside?” Kel guessed, standing beside him. Sunny nodded, waving the 20 dollar bill again. “What are you buying? A pizza?” Sunny stuck his tongue out in disgust. “Okay, not pizza… oh! Mari likes salad, right? Are you getting one for her?” Sunny nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll order for you, ‘k?” Kel held the door open for Sunny as he walked in, then followed behind. Kel waved to the bored looking cashier.  
“Hello kind sir, I’d like a salad, please!”  
“This is a pizza place, ya know that?” the cashier said with a bored eye roll.  
“But… it’s on the menu?” The cashier grumbled and walked into the back room. About a minute later, he came out holding a bowl of salad.  
“Weirdo,” he said, staring down at a magazine absentmindedly. Sunny slid the 20 dollar bill onto the counter, and got some change. Kel huffed and dragged Sunny out in annoyance.  
“Do we need to buy anything else for Mari?” Sunny nodded, and pointed at Fix It. “Huh? Fix It? Why would we need to go there…?” Sunny pointed to a dandelion growing through a crack in the pavement. “Oh! Flowers for Mari.” Sunny waved his spare dollar bills in the air almost flauntingly. “Right, you obviously have the money.”  
The pair walked into Fix It. Sunny selected a bouquet of purple and pink flowers, and paid for them without trouble.  
“Is that everything?” A nod. Kel was getting tired of this one sided conversation. “Okay. We should drop off everything at your house, then… I dunno. Is there anything you wanna do?” Sunny just shrugged. “Well, what time will Mari be back?” Another shrug. “Okay, we can just ask your parents while we drop off everything. Let’s go!”  
The two walked down the street, Kel gingerly handling the flowers. Out of the two, Kel was less likely to drop the flowers, though it would still be a significant loss if his clumsiness decided to act up.  
Eventually, the pair reached Sunny’s home. His dad was sitting on the couch, funneling through old newspapers. Sunny quickly signed something to him, and gestured to the salad and flowed.  
Sunny’s dad gave a small grunt of encouragement. “Put it down on the kitchen table.” The two obliged. Sunny quickly signed something to his mom.  
“Mari is running a bit late. She’ll be here at about 5,” she said, replying to the unspoken question. Kel nudged Sunny.  
“We can go do something else in the meantime,” he suggested. Sunny gave a curt nod, and the pair headed out yet again. “I was thinking we could go to our old hangout spot?” he asked while they walked. Sunny was thoughtful, then gave a small nod, his expression reflective.  
The park was a lot less… whimsical as his dreams had led him to believe. The small metal cat was, well, small, as well as rusted. There were strays everywhere. In fact, there were more strays then people.  
Suddenly, the two froze as they heard a yell. They exchanged a gaze before making a break for their old hangout spot. The entrance was a bit more destitute, the reds overgrown and cutting Kel’s bare legs. They skid to a stop as they observed the scene in front of them. Basil looking annoyed, Aubrey looking enraged.  
“Seriously, Basil?” Kel said, crossing his arms. “Leave Aubrey alone!”  
“I already told you to STAY OUT of this!” Basil snapped. “Besides, I’m not bullying her! I just told her to go away and she started screaming!”  
“Wow, guess what?” Aubrey snipped. “This is public property! You aren’t allowed to chase me away!”  
“Why. Do. You. Care.” Basil snarled through grit teeth. His sky blue eyes were starting to blur with tears. “I’ve made this place my own after you all abandoned this place! Abandoned me. Abandoned Hero.”  
“Don’t bring Hero into this.” Kel said, his voice growing dangerous. Sunny signed something, his motions stiff and tense.  
“You wanna know what Aubrey did?” Kel immediately scratched at his arm as Aubrey’s gaze burned into him. “She vandalized my photo album! Every single photo!” Sunny widened his eyes and took a step back. Aubrey’s gaze turned bitter.  
“Basil-“ she began. Kel’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest.  
“Don’t try to justify your actions, you vandal!”  
“Basil.” Aubrey repeated.  
“Just leave me ALONE!” Basil shoved Aubrey, who just so happened to be standing on the deck that led into the lake. Sunny recoiled at the sight.  
“Basil, what did you DO?” Kel wailed.  
“…Crap.” Basil muttered. His eyes were slowly growing in fear. Kel took a deep, long breath. Sunny wasn’t taking any steps forward, so Kel ran toward the deck. Long black tendrils reached out of the water. As Kel dived into the water, another memory resurfaced. 

X had just learned to swim, and that was a fact he was certainly was flaunting. XXXX normally laid on the picnic blanket, but today she was in the water with her brother. They had managed to coax XXX to swim with them as well, though he was a bit reluctant. As he climbed up onto the stone statue in the middle of the lake, all he could think about was how dumb this was. XXXXX was ready to snap a picture of XXX jumping in, which certainly put pressure on him. As he got ready to jump, he stumbled, and fell awkwardly into the water. XXX tried to reach the surface, clawing at the water, but he was dragged further into the water. All he was doing was making it worse. So, he allowed himself to sink further. Someone would save him.  
Right…?

Kel had never swam since that day, so he was understandably a bit rusty. He pushed toward the slowly sinking figure of Aubrey, and grabbed onto her. Suddenly, he felt the hand of SOMETHING pulling him to the bottom, similar to the way it had four years ago. Had it always been there? Kel tried to take a breath, but water filled his lungs. The edges of his vision started to turn black. Hero wasn’t here to rescue him this time. Kel resigned himself to his fate, and closed his eyes. 

He was coming, Hero…

Suddenly, he was pulled out of the water, and he gasped desperately for air as his eyes shot open, red and waterlogged. He coughed, the water still not escaping his lungs. He was still conscious, so that was good. Kel forced himself to his feet and stared up at his rescuer, who had a mane of dark damp hair. Sunny ran to his side and supported Kel, who’s legs were shaking.  
“M-Mari?” he sputtered. Mari gave a bright, weary smile.  
“Are you okay?” she asked, placing a protective hand on his shoulder.  
“Aubrey’s worse off,” he said, shrugging off the kitchen. Mari laid a hand on her chest.  
“Her pulse is steady, and so is her breathing.” she confirmed. “She just needs to lay down.” Basil stared at the scene, tears streaking down his face. He ran away before anyone could say anything.  
“I know where she lives.” Kel said quickly as Mari picked up Aubrey’s passed out form. The trio began a silent walk, but Mari was determined to stir up conversation.  
“So what was happening back at the lake?” she asked, curious.  
“Basil pushed Aubrey into the lake!” Kel cried animatedly. “And I went in after her, but I…” Would Mari believe SOMETHING pulled him down? “I couldn’t swim while carrying Aubrey, so I sunk.” he explained. Was that right? Kel hallucinated so often he couldn’t tell the difference between real life and his vivid fantasies.  
“Wait, that was Basil?” Mari asked with a frown.  
“Yeah! He was bullying Aubrey, and then he pushed her!”  
“I’m sure it was an accident.”  
“You didn’t see him do it. I’m convinced he tried to kill her!”  
“Okay, let’s drop this subject for now.” Mari said with a sigh, knowing this wasn’t getting anywhere. “Are Aubrey’s parents home?” Sunny said something in sign language. “Oh. Parent.”  
A solemn mood fell over the trio until they stopped in front of a faded brown house.  
“This is her house.” Kel said, cutting through the silence with a knife. Mari knocked on the door. No response. She tried the door, which was surprisingly unlocked. The trio took a wary look around. Sunny and Mari had never been in Aubrey’s house, but Kel had. It certainly looked different. The house was almost obsessively clean. The rundown TV that was once there was replaced with a bookshelf, the cheap rubbery couch replaced with a luxury armchair.  
“There’s something… weird about this house.” Mari commented.  
“It feels… eerie.” Kel agreed. “It’s different from the last time I saw it.” Sunny signed something to Mari.  
“That’s…” she hesitated. Kel tilted his head, but Mari said nothing. “Where’s Aubrey’s room?”  
“It’s up a ladder.” Kel explained. Mari scrunched up her nose.  
“That’s gonna be annoying.” she sighed. After a bit of back and forth, Aubrey made it up the ladder. Mari laid her in her bed and bundled her in blankets. “She just needs rest and warmth,” she explained to the pair.  
“Really? How do you know?”  
“Didn’t Sunny tell you? I’m studying to become a doctor.” Kel crossed his arms, knowing Sunny wouldn’t TELL him anything. “A therapist, more specifically.” Her gaze turned bitter for a slight moment, and she sighed. “Let’s go back to my house. Mom made dinner for us, after all.” Kel scratched nervously at his arm.  
“Could… I eat with you?” he asked hesitantly. Mari nodded with a cheery smile.  
“Of course!” Sunny signed something, and Mari laughed for a moment.  
“I feel a bit left out, you know. I can’t understand sign language.” Kel sighed. Mari nudged Kel with a cheeky smile.  
“You had the opportunity to learn, you know!” she pointed out. Kel stuck his tongue out good-naturedly. He brushed a strand of knotted brown hair away from his eyes.  
“How close are we to your house from here?” Kel asked, tilting his head slightly.  
“About a 5 minute walk if we keep good time.” Mari replied. The trio walked out, Sunny silently locking the door behind him.  
“How’s collage going?”  
“It’s rough,” she said with a weary sigh. “I’ve had to stay up until 4 in the morning so I could study! They don’t let just anyone become a doctor.” Kel laughed.  
“It’ll be worth it, right? You and Hero always liked to help people.”  
“To tell you the truth, I’m only becoming a doctor to make my parents proud. I still wanna be a musician.” Mari held a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone, though!” Kel was thoughtful.  
“Of course!” he said hastily after he took a bit too long to answer.  
“What you said was true, though. I do like to help people. So even if it’s not my first choice, being a doctor would still be good. I’d be able to help people.” Mari’s gaze was unreadable. Kel didn’t know what she was thinking, and he didn’t want to pry. So the two were as silent as Sunny until they reached the siblings house.  
“Hey Mom!” Mari announced, being the first one through the door. “I found Kel and Sunny!”  
“Hmph. You two were gone for too long.” Sunny’s dad grumbled. “You missed Mari coming back.” Kel scratched at his arm awkwardly, not sure how to respond. Sunny signed something in response, but his dad seemingly ignored him.  
“Dinner is still warm! You three can come eat!” their mom called. Kel allowed himself a small smile at the wording ‘you three’.  
“Thanks, Ms. Smith.” Kel said.  
“Don’t worry about it! I’m sure you need the nutrition.” The trio ate a dinner of salad and pasta, which was a nice change from the scarce amounts of nutrition Kel had allowed himself. Kel finished immediately, and unsuccessfully held back Ms. Smith’s insistence on seconds. He wasn’t all too morose about it, though. The food was good.  
Sunny and Mari finished about 5 minutes after Kel had finished his third serving.  
“Hey, Kel.” Mari asked innocently, resting her head on her hand. “Can we sleep over at your house tonight?”  
“Huh? Everything’s packed up. Well, almost everything. There’s nowhere to sleep.”  
“Oh, I’m sure we can figure something out. C’mon! I wanna see the house before you move away.” Mari said with a playful smile.  
“Oh, that’s what you’re after. Sure, I don’t mind.”  
Mari smile grew triumphantly. “Let’s go, then!” She grabbed Sunny’s hand and took the lead.  
“Hey, wait for me!!” Kel scrambled to catch up, but he let Mari keep the lead. She opened the door to his house and peered in.  
“…Woah. It’s so empty, it’s weird.” she commented, looking around. “It’s similar, but different at the same time.” Kel kicked at a cardboard box halfheartedly.  
“Yeah. I don’t want to leave this house, but it’s probably for the best after everything.” Mari tensed up slightly. Sunny, noting the silence, signed something to Mari.  
“Oh! Yeah, that sounds like fun. Let’s go!” Mari began to race up the stairs, Sunny following behind.  
“WHAT sounds like fun?” Kel objected. He shot up the stairs and followed the pair into his room, where they had already set up a blanket propped up by chairs and other things of that sort. They worked quick.  
“Hope you don’t mind!” Mari called as a greeting, sitting down on a bed of pillows.  
“I… don’t,” Kel said reluctantly, crossing his arms. He sat down in the fort as well. His movements were slowed. “Oh! By the way, look what Basil gave me!” He dropped the photo album onto the fort’s floor. Mari gasped, her gaze desperate.  
“Is that his photo album?” she asked in disbelief.  
“Yeah. I thought you’d like to look through it!” Mari smiled widely, her gaze eager. She flipped open the photo album, and Kel was sucked into a sea of memories.  
The first one was Sunny, playing his new violin. Basil’s birthday party. Mari and Hero baking cookies together, while Kel was being chased by Aubrey.  
...Kel and Hero holding up their new instruments. Kel turned that page pretty quickly.  
Mari pointed to a photo with a chuckle. “Heh, I took this one.” It was Basil and Hero in animated conversation in the rain. The one next to it was Aubrey and Kel puddle jumping.  
“Yeah, that was during spring break!” Kel said. “I think we got into Capt. Spaceboy comics around that time?” Sure enough, the next picture was Aubrey holding open the latest edition, Kel peering over her shoulder. Sunny was sitting next to her, looking at the comic with an entranced expression. Sunny pointed to another picture, which was him holding a drawing of Capt. Spaceboy and Sweetheart on a date. Mari laughed.  
“What a weird pairing you made,” she teased. She suddenly sobered as she flipped the page and stared, surprised, at the next picture. It was Mari playing the piano, Hero playing the saxophone alongside her. Kel scratched at his arm, which was starting to rash by now. The next picture was Sunny and Kel playing their respective instruments.  
“We never got to preform at that recital.” Mari said with a depressed sigh. Kel stayed silent. They continued flipping through the album, until they reached the last photo.  
Kel resting on Aubrey’s shoulder, holding his trumpet in his hands. There was the description, which was the first one he’d bothered to read. ‘Kel’s exhausted after a long day of practice! Aubrey makes for great moral support. The recital is coming up soon. I’m sure everyone will do great!’ Kel shut the album forcefully. Mari looked at him, confused.  
“We should go to bed. It’s getting late.” He rubbed his eyes.  
“Good idea, we might as well call it a night.” Mari said. “Are you gonna sleep in your clothes, though?” Kel was silent. Changing took too much energy; usually, he didn’t bother. Sunny got up and switched the light, and Kel shivered involuntarily. It was dark. He knew SOMETHING was lurking. Could they see it?  
Kel grabbed a blanket from his bed and lowered it onto the trio.  
“Cozy!” Mari commented. Sunny curled up and drifted into sleep quickly. Mari giggled. “Good night, Kel.” she said, laying down. He took a hesitant breath and laid down as well, closing his eyes slowly. He slowly lulled off into sleep, despite feeling SOMETHING glaring at him sharply.

…

WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE. 

YOU’VE BEEN LIVING HERE FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN REMEMBER.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *updates the story summary for the millionth time*
> 
> #letbasilswear2021


	8. Time to Wake Up.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
> .  
> Ḥ̞̫̲̎͊̒̄͞ͅî̢͍̝̥̜͊̊̒͐k͎͓͎͔̥̝̹̬̓͂̇̆́̄͢͢͠í̴̡̧̧̼̘̥͉̖̆̔͂͑̔̏̓̆͢͢͠k̶̨͈̰̦̦̻̗͖̻̾̀͛̍͂̂̈̔͆͞ͅḙ̶̡̢̣̖̞͈͔̦̠̄̇̅̏́́͊̓l̴̨̙̣̻̰̮̮̗̞̤̔̒̈́̅̊̈̅̚͡ v̪̦̥̦̫͚̯̄̒͂͑̉̑̕i̡͍̼̞̳̩͕͚͛̀͊́͑s̵̪̮̖̦̼̮͍̮̈́̌͒̊̌͠ï̛̼̜͉͖̥̪̳̦̿͂͠͝ẗ̷̨̻̤̭̭̦͚͔̮̮́͂͆̌̈̈̈́̒́͘ȩ̭̳̭̬͕̘̉́̀̀͗̚͘ͅd̶̨̨̫͉̱̹̟̠͙͉̊͗͒̃̀̄ B͎͖̲͕̲̟͙̪̋̊̔̈̐͘͟͟l̷͇̙̫̮̦̜̭͔̾͋̃̓̀̓̉͋͜͡a̸̛̩͕̪͇̱̎̉̚͜͡c̷̠̣͙̖̖̯͎͈̅͛̆̈̽̀k̝͇͎̪̰̪̲̹͔̬̾͋͋̉̓̕͠ S̨̖̣̞̠̣̿̐̾̄̄̕͟p̱̤̪͂̇̓͒̃̊̌̔̿͢͜ǎ͇̜͓̰͇̾̀͑͞͠͠͠c̵̘͍̱͕̞̮̈́̊̂͋̐̓̓̐͟e̴̛̬̖̝͓̺͔͈͔͎̿̔̿̔̊̈́̕.̲̝͍̪̖̰̰̱̀̎̆̀͊́̉̎̓̒͟   
> ̵̧̼̳̹̫͚̺̯͉̔̇́̎́̋̊̉̕͘  
> ̵̜̜̩̰̫̲͉̯̊̈́̇͗̔͢N̷̢͉̙̰̫̄̓̑́͊́̽͊̚ơ̷̧̞͈͙̻̗̽̆̏͘͜͝t̷̨̡̥̻̘͊̊͑̉́̅͟͞h̥̩͕̣̜͎͂̈̋̀̌͒͝i͙̻͙̭̻̽̋̈͗̅̕͘͠͠n̶̡̢̛̳͙̺̩͎̾́̉́̋͌͟g̶̼̪͕̫̩͆̾̋̈̒͝ w̸̡̭̦̟̜͇̼̠̯̋̽̋͂̀͗̿̾i̴̼̠̞̹̼͂̔̈́̈͋̕͞ļ̶̧̭̬̲̙̤͊́͂̚͟͜͞͡l̥͙̪͖͖̻̰̿̓̽̄̑͢ e͉̠̞̫̻̻̥͚̓͛̃̃̄͗̉͛͆͘v̷̢̨̫̤̘̮̪̂̏̔̍̎̋͑̕̚ę̷̥̜̺̭͖̈̆̃͛̕r̶̨̛͇̙̦̣̪̪͙̹̙͒́͂͑̈́̒̄̚̚ b̠̯̭̪̪̜̙͉̱͗͌̀̾̒͊͘̕e̡̖̝̩̘͌̅̽̏͐͗͟ ȍ̴̖̘͓͎̹̖̑̈́͊̀̂́̾͝͡ķ͉̦͔̟̫̘̀͛̓͛̉̈̑̏̑̕a̷̰͎̙͙̳͒̿͑͂́̕̕y̗̠̭̖̺͓͛̒̋̽͌̋̍̂ͅ.̵̡̣̪͚̜͔̘̝̆́̀̈́̌ͅ   
> .

Something was wrong.   
That was Hikikel’s first thought as his inky black eyes shot open. He stared at the white door that floated in the space, not attached to any sort of wall. He gripped his basketball tightly as he approached the door. His hand twisted around the handle and it swung open into the pastel NEIGHBORS ROOM.   
No one was there. NEIGHBORS ROOM was empty.   
Hikikel’s free hand balled into a fist. This room was worthless if he couldn’t enjoy it with his friends. He hadn’t told them to go anywhere. Where’d they go? He approached the rainbow coated stairs, almost hesitantly.   
Hikikel looked around the VAST FOREST. Not even a single Sprout Mole wandered through the area.   
Hikikel searched the playground. Not a breath of life anywhere.   
He didn’t know where to go. So he just decided to wander. Somehow, his wandering led to the docks, where Hero was silently standing. He tapped Herk expectantly. He didn’t even bother turning to him as he spoke.   
“Everyone’s… gone.” he said with a sigh. “There’s this fog everywhere… we need to look for the others, Hikikel.” Hikikel stared into the water. He could see SOMETHING at the bottom, taunting him. It would drown him if he tried to go there. He shook his head and drew back. Hero stepped into the water, and Hikikel widened his eyes, terrified. “What?” he asked quizzically. “Sometimes, when you’re afraid, all you can do is FOCUS on the task at hand. We won’t find our friends by avoiding the water!”

…

Hikikel is no longer afraid of drowning. 

He hesitantly stepped into the water beside Hero, gripping his hand with a tense expression.   
“There’s another dock over there, Hikikel.” Hero said reassuringly. “I know you don’t like the water, so I won’t try to keep you there for too long.” Hikikel nodded hesitantly, every step rigid with caution.   
The siblings stepped onto the deck, Hikikel’s heavy breathing slowly as he returned to dry land. The pair began to walk along the creaky wooden deck, cutting through the fog.   
“Sunny! Basil! …Mari? Where are you?” Hero called worriedly. Hikikel stood behind him, his arms limp at his side.   
“Aubrey?” he tentatively added.   
They continued walking, Hikikel’s eyes narrowed. Until the dock abruptly cut off. Hero stood at the end of it, Hikikel warily following behind. He was worried he would have to go into the water again.   
“Well, this is my stop.” Hero said with a sigh. Hikikel immediately stiffened, his neutral gaze growing panicked. “I know it’s selfish to be here, but I enjoy spending time with everyone. Is that so much to ask?” Hero began walking, but instead of sinking, he gently floated on top of the water. “Sorry, little brother. I just hope you’re still in there somewhere, Kel.”  
Hikikel took a couple steps back, feeling that same eerie wrong. Suddenly, Hero’s colors drained from him, like draining water from a tub. Hero took a couple more steps forward. He slowly sank into the water, then a whirlpool sank Hero’s last remnants away into the depths of the ocean.   
Hikikel was alone.   
Black hands slowly raised out of the water. They reached out to grab him, to drag him down with them.   
No. If Hikikel were to drown, he’d do it on his own terms.   
He dove into the water, following into the whirlpool Hero had been sucked into. He struggled against the fierce current, to have any sense of control. He got pulled deeper and deeper, until he was spit out on a hard, textureless black floor. 

WELCOME TO BLACK SPACE. 

Ah. Black Space. Well, a visit here was inevitable. And maybe Hikikel would find something here that would soothe the growing darkness.   
He walked in front of a dark door that cast a long, crawling shadow. He hesitantly opened the door and allowed himself to be plunged into his minds darkest parts.   
Aubrey being devoured by spiders.   
Aubrey being decapitated.   
Aubrey bashed into bits.   
Aubrey’s head being snapped by the jaws of an elevator.   
Aubrey being killed by amalgamations of her own friends, pleading for help.   
Aubrey being consumed by Something.   
Aubrey being pulled apart by blood stained hands.   
And finally, Hikikel making his way to his own throne, which was made from dark, blood soaked hands. He stared blankly as he overlooked this place of his own creation.   
He stared at any onlookers that invaded his dreams. 

Kel woke up, his breathing in loose chunks. It was still dark. For a moment, he panicked, not knowing where he was. His fears were soothed when he saw his friends sleeping peacefully beside him. He took a couple of breaths. Kel hated Black Space. Aubrey was still his friend, even after everything. So to see her die in an infinite loop and stand there apathetically… it just felt wrong.   
Kel stood up as he wiggled out of the fort, careful not to disturb the sleeping siblings. He walked out of his room, every step making a small creak on the old wooden floors. His feet moved on their own as he walked in deadly silence. He stopped in front of a door that hadn’t been opened in four years.   
Why was he going in there again?  
He stepped in there anyway, the door opening with a loud CREEEEAK. He stepped gently into the room to see the dust covered saxophone be picked up by a ghostly white hand.   
“Hey little brother.” Hero said with a soft smile as he raised the saxophone to his mouth. A long forgotten song began to softly play as Hero’s voice echoed gently through the room. “I can’t help but apologize, you know. I pushed you too hard. You knew that perfection came at a cost, and yet I didn’t listen… it’s not too late to play that duet, though. I won’t push you too hard again, I promise.”  
Mari stepped gently into the room, and Kel turned to her, his gaze slightly teary.   
“Hm.” she said wonderingly. “I thought I heard saxophone coming from this room. Must’ve been my imagination.” She gave a small sigh. Mari opened her mouth, but she struggled to say more.   
“Sorry if I woke you up.” Kel mumbled, grabbing his arm awkwardly.   
“No, no! It’s fine, you didn’t!” Mari reassured. She grabbed Kel’s hand with a small, strained smile. “Let’s go back to sleep, okay?” Kel gave a small, hesitant nod. The pair walked out of the room and back into Kel’s room. The two walked back into the room. After about 10 minutes, Mari drifted off into sleep.   
Kel was afraid of sleep.   
He didn’t want to go back to sleep. Who knew what would happen? He tried to FOCUS. He needed sleep. Kel let himself close his eyes. Sleep beckoned him, and he answered its call. 

And yet, he never went to White Space that night. When he awoke, he wasn’t in a endless white void, but in his own room, hearing (and smelling) sizzling bacon. Bacon…? Oh! Hero loved making bacon! It was some of his best work, too. Kel felt like a child again as he raced down the stairs and skidded into the kitchen. As he saw Mari flipping the sizzling crisp bacon on the stove.   
Right, Hero was dead.   
Kel sat down at the kitchen table in silence. Sunny was sitting across from him, scarfing down scrambled eggs and bacon.   
“Good morning, Kel!” Mari said with a bright smile. “I’m almost done with your batch of breakfast. Sunny tried to steal some of your bacon, haha!” Sunny signed something to Mari, and she burst out laughing.   
“What did he say?” Kel asked, genuinely curious.   
“It’s an inside joke, you wouldn’t get it.” Mari replied between giggles. “Oh, your foods done!” She loaded scrambled eggs and bacon onto a plate and slid the plate in front of Kel. He took a wistful bite.   
It tasted almost as good as Hero’s, but not quite.   
It was still the best food he’d had in four years.   
“Thanks Mari, this is amazing!” he said between mouthfuls. Mari smiled at the praise as she sat down at the table as well.   
“I finished all your chores. I saw the list your mom had left out, so I did them for you!” Kel blinked in surprise.  
“Thanks…”  
“By the way,” she said oh so casually. “I was thinking about talking to Basil.” Kel choked on a piece of bacon and coughed for a solid thirty seconds before staring at Mari.   
“What?!” he sputtered. “Did you forget what happened yesterday?!”  
“No, I did not. In fact, what happened yesterday just strengthens my resolve. You’re moving away soon. I don’t want you and Basil to end it on bad terms.”  
“Who cares?” Kel mumbled around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.   
“You should.” Mari replied, nudging Kel sharply. Kel stared bitterly into his now empty plate.   
“Hmph.” Kel said, crossing his arms. “Whatever. If that’s what you want, we can do it. If Basil pushes me into the lake again, though, I’m out.”  
“Don’t worry! It’s fairly early in the day. I think he’s inside his house right now, so it’ll be fine.” Mari insisted. Sunny grabbed his and Kel’s plates while the pair were talking and washed them out, placing them inside of the dishwasher. Kel got up and pushed his chair in, still mumbling irritably. Sunny stood in front of his sister, Kel in the front. With that, the trio walked out of Kel’s house.   
“Remember, Basil lives diagonally from us.” Mari reminded. Kel groaned.   
“Do you really think I’d forget where my friend lives?” he asked incredulously. In fact, he had, but that didn’t seem like a preferable thing to admit. The friends crossed the empty road into the neighborhood, and stopped in front of a house with planters and pots scattered throughout the backyard. Some of them looked a bit wilted, sagging toward the ground sadly. Mari stepped in front of the two and knocked gently on the door.   
“Basil!” she called. No response. “Hey, Basil! It’s me, Mari!”   
“He’s not gonna answer.” Kel grumbled, crossing his arms. “We might as well leave.” Just as he said that, Mari’s hand twisted around the doorknob. The door was unlocked, so she stepped in. Sunny hurriedly followed, as did Kel, though his expression was sour.   
The living room was completely empty, save for the scattered pots and planters everywhere. These plants looked a bit more happy.   
“Hm, Basil’s not in the living room. He must be in his room.” Mari deduced. She walked into the hallway and stood in front of the farthest door to the right. She knocked gently. The door was opened, and Basil walked out, his eyes narrowed.   
“Wh- get out of my house!” he exclaimed, his gaze a split between bewildered and furious.   
“Basil.” Mari said stiffly, immediately silencing him. “We just wanna talk, okay? I’ve been hearing some things.”  
“Ha.” Basil snarled. “You sure you aren’t gonna guilt trip me?” he taunted. Mari stared at him, her gaze unreadable.   
“I just wanna know why you’re bullying Aubrey.” she asked, her voice innocent.   
Kel scratched at his arm.   
“Ugh. I already TOLD these two, but I guess they didn’t mention it, huh?” Basil raised a taunting eyebrow. “Aubrey vandalized my photo album, okay? I went over to her house a month after Hero… passed,” Everyone’s gaze grew bitter, none more so then Mari’s. “and I saw my photo album on her shelf, and I went to take it back, but after I opened it, I saw all my photos blacked out! She had… even blacked out Hero’s face. That’s reason enough to bully her, if you ask me.”  
“You didn’t ask her why she did that?” Mari asked, huffing slightly.   
“I- no, but-“  
“C’mom Basil, you should know everyone has a reason for doing something, no matter how flimsy those reasons may be. It was just a misunderstanding!” Mari reassured. “You two should apologize. You used to be such good friends!” Basil winced slightly at that.   
“That’s…” He sighed, playing with a strand of green hair. “I’m…” Tears started to form in his eyes. Basil clearly felt guilty about his bullying. “Ugh. This is stupid, but I’ll apologize to her, just so long as you guys come with me. I’d doubt she’d speak to me if I was alone, anyway.” Mari nodded, a cheery smile on her face.   
“Let’s go then! Aubrey lives just next door, you know!”   
The friends walked out of the house, Basil looking slightly reluctant. Sunny was the one who knocked this time. The door’s handle twisted, and a big, gruff adult stood at the door, his gaze irritable.   
“Hello?” he huffed, staring down at the four. “How can I help you?”  
“Hi!” Mari said, pushing in front of Kel and Sunny. She extended her hand. “I’m Mari Smith. Me and my brother, Sunny, are friends of Aubrey’s, as well as our other friends, Basil and Kel.” She pointed to each as she introduced them. “We’d like to talk to her, if that’s okay?”  
The man laughed. “Aubrey hasn’t come out of her room all day. But you guys can try, if you want.” He walked out of the doorframe, and the four made their way into Aubrey’s house. Kel didn’t like the feeling of this house. It just felt worse whenever Aubrey’s dad was near.   
The four stood in front of the ladder, Mari staring up at the closed trapdoor that blocked the way to Aubrey’s room.   
“Hey Aubrey!” she called. “It’s me, Mari! I hope you’re feeling better after yesterday. We just wanna talk to you, but no pressure! Come out whenever you feel comfortable.” Kel and Sunny were silent.   
“Hey Aubrey.” Basil muttered, his sky blue eyes rooted firmly to the ground. “I just wanna apologize. I’m here with everyone else, so… come out whenever you’re ready, I guess.”  
Nothing came from Aubrey’s room.   
“Hm.” Mari said thoughtfully. “Well, we shouldn’t pressure her.” She approached Aubrey’s dad. “Ah, excuse me sir, do you mind if we stay here and wait for Aubrey to come out?” He was grabbing a suitcase and his car keys, but when Mari spoke, he turned to her.   
“Do whatever you want, kid. I have to go to work, anyway.” And with that, he left. Basil huffed and sat down on the couch.   
“Well, we might as well get comfy.” he said, shrugging. Kel sat beside him, while Sunny on his other side. Mari lounged on the floor. The pair were silent, the mood tense.   
“I still remember that day.” Mari said quietly. The others knew what she was talking about. “Me and Sunny were buying some nice clothes for the recital that night. And then when we got back, there were cop cars and ambulances everywhere.”  
“Me and my grandma were making bouquets for all of you.” Basil said, his voice quivering. “Everything seemed so normal. Happy, even. Who knew it would be the worse night of our lives?”  
“I still don’t understand why he did it.” Mari said quietly.   
“I doubt any of us ever will.” Kel replied, battling tears.   
“…I’m sorry, you guys.” Basil whispered. “I was such a JERK!” He balled his hands into fists. “It’s just… after Hero died, I was so alone. Kel stopped coming outside, Aubrey was avoiding all of us, Sunny threw himself into his violin, and Mari became more closed off. But it was stupid of me to expect things to be exactly the same. It was stupid of me to expect us to still be friends, after that.” Mari grabbed Basil’s hand, her gaze fierce.   
“But we ARE still friends!” she insisted. “We drifted apart once, and that was bad enough. Now that we’ve reconnected, we’re stronger then ever!” Sunny nodded, signed something. Basil and Mari grew more serious, Basil giving Kel a sidelong gaze.   
“He said that we might as well have lost two friends that day.” Basil explained when he saw Kel’s confused expression. “After you stopped coming outside.” Kel shifted, his gaze uncomfortable.   
“Sorry.” he mumbled. “After everything, I just…” He didn’t finish that sentence, in the end. The four fell back into silence. Sunny brought out the photo album and signed something.  
“Yeah, I did clean it.” Basil replied. “You can still kinda see some of the black marks on the photos, but none of them got damaged.” Sunny signed something else.   
“Sure, we can look through it again!” Mari replied. The four flipped through the book, discussing both documented and undocumented memories. Kel even occasionally joined in on their laughter. They talked until nightfall.   
“Oh, it’s really late.” Mari said, blinking. “Time flies, huh?”  
“Well, today was a great way to spend my last day here.” Kel said, his bittersweet smile small. “Thanks, you guys.”   
“Hm, Aubrey didn’t come out today.” Mari said, frowning. “Well, we can wait for her here.”  
“Sleepover!” Basil cheered. He grabbed some folded up blankets and handed them to each friend.   
“See you in the morning.” Kel said quietly as he grabbed a throw pillow from the couch.   
“Goodnight!” Mari said, turning off the light.   
Before Kel went to bed, he looked at his friends.   
Sunny and Basil were cuddled up together, already asleep. Both were some of his closest friends. He was happy he’d gotten to see them before he moved.   
Mari, the closest he’d had to an older sibling, now that Hero was gone. She was infinitely kind and patient. He was glad she was here with him.   
Kel laid down. Even if he wasn’t spending the night in his own house, he was still happy with where he was, who he was with. Thinking about that allowed him to sleep, even when he could feel SOMETHING nearby.   
Even when he remembered Hikikel’s empty eyes boring into him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunny during breakfast: es hora de comer


	9. Time to Face the Truth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kel remembers an old, buried memory.

WELCOME TO WHITE SPACE.

…

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Kel’s eyes slowly blinked open. He was… in White Space. He rubbed his eyes, slightly disoriented. He could see a pure white picnic blanket in the distance, sitting peacefully amongst the sea of white, even if it blended in a little. Kel got up and walked toward the blanket.  
Hikikel was there, staring right at him. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Kel unscrewed the lightbulb.  
White Space was plunged into darkness, and everything else except for Kel disappeared. He began walking. He didn’t know where his feet were taking him, but he wasn’t worried.  
It was just a dream, right? How bad could it be?  
Kel stopped. Amongst the dark, there was a massive eye that stared at him. It grew nearer and nearer until it stopped in front of him. There, standing motionlessly, was SOMETHING.  
Suddenly, it reached out to him, gripping him tightly. Kel couldn’t breathe. Kel was AFRAID.  
“Replace what you’re scared of with something you love. Then you’ll see it wasn’t that scary after all!”  
Kel CALMED DOWN. Just as he felt calm, SOMETHING shifted. Now it was several thin hands, dragging him by his legs, down into an abyss. Kel is AFRAID.  
“But we ARE still friends! We drifted apart once, and that was bad enough. Now that we’re reconnected, we’re stronger then ever!”  
Kel REMEMBERED Mari’s words. No matter what, he’d have his friends by his side.  
SOMETHING shifted. Kel stiffened.  
He felt like his life was in danger.  
SOMETHING is no longer moving.  
Kel feels AFRAID.  
SOMETHING will never move again.  
Kel feels AFRAID.  
SOMETHING keeps bleeding and bleeding, even though it’s already dead.  
Kel feels AFRAID.  
“Kel… I love you.”  
Kel PERSISTS, even through the paralyzing fear. Kel PERSISTS, even though the blinding guilt.  
Kel PERSISTS… even when he wishes he was dead.  
SOMETHING disappears. Even when Kel completely steadies his breathing, he still feels scared. But even then…  
He approached the door. It stood out, being a simple white door, not being affected by the dark. He gently opens the door.  
Kel was in a forest. It wasn’t pastel with made up inhabitants. It just looked like the backyard Sunny and Mari have. He walked warily, staring attentively at every odd looking shadow. He stopped in front of a tree with a sturdy treehouse sitting on top of it. Aubrey sat under it, humming as she looked through Basil’s photo album. Kel sat next to her, and she gave him a sad smile.  
“You’ve forgotten something important.” she said. “Are you really okay with that? I think… you should remember everything, even the bad.” Kel stared listlessly at the grass. “Aha… but that’s just my two cents. You don’t have to remember. But I think… this memory shouldn’t be forgotten.”  
Kel got up. Maybe this was some sort of lesson. Nothing could be buried, whatever whatever. He didn’t want to remember, but… forgetting was a curse more evil then remembering. So, he approached the door that certainly hadn’t been there before. He stood in front of it. He opened the door.  
Kel remembered. 

Another squeak, another broken note. Hero lowered his saxophone and glowered at Kel. He shrank back at the glare, embarrassed and stressed and really tired. His fingers groaned every time they moved.  
“Another mistake?! Kel, the recital is TONIGHT!” Hero snapped. He bowed his head, not wanting to meet his brothers irritated eyes. “Sunny and Mari have been practicing so hard! What have you been doing?”  
“I-I’ve been practicing, I swear! This part is just… really hard, okay?!”  
“I’m going to go make lunch. You’re not allowed to have any until you get this part right!” Hero replied. With a huff, he walked out of the room. Kel stared at his brothers retreating form, crestfallen.  
Ever since the two had begun playing instruments, Hero had gotten more and more irritable. He was throwing himself into both his studies AND his saxophone. Meanwhile, Kel’s grades kept falling behind as more stress was piled onto him. He stared blankly at his trumpet. He would never be good enough. He’d just disappoint everyone.  
Kel’s feet began to move on their own. He was acting on impulse, like he always did. Maybe he should’ve thought before acting.  
He threw his trumpet down the stairs.  
“These cost a lot of money. You two better take care of them, okay?” Kel’s mom had said.  
“Don’t worry!” Kel’s dad had replied. “They’ll take great care of their new instruments. Right, Kel?” His dad had looked at him sternly, and Kel was a bit bashful, the family knowing Kel’s clumsiness full well.  
“Right!” Kel had insisted with shining eyes.  
Kel stared blankly at his trumpet. It would be unplayable now. No more practice, no more recital, no more pressure.  
Was it worth it, though?  
Kel walked down the stairs and stared down at the trumpet.  
“Kel? Are you okay? I heard some noise and-“ Hero’s worried voice abruptly cut off as he registered the scene. Kel turned his gaze up to his brother. He still had an apron on, was still carrying a kitchen knife he was using. “What did you DO?!”  
“It was an accident!” Kel insisted hastily. “It slipped out of my hands!”  
“What were you doing near the stairs?” Hero pressured. “You should’ve been practicing!”  
“Why?” Kel muttered. “I haven’t gotten it right once. Just go do the recital without me.”  
“KEL.” Hero said, suddenly struck with a realization. “Did- did you…?”  
“N-No! It was an accident, I promise!” Kel objected, shrinking back a bit. If Hero realized he did it on purpose, then…  
“Are you serious?! You threw your trumpet? Mom is going to be FURIOUS when she gets home!”  
The word furious had stuck in Kel’s head. Maybe it was because of the way Hero had said it. “Like you are right now…?”  
“What are we going to do?” Hero whispered, running his free hand through his messy hair. “The recitals in just a few hours…”  
“That’s all you care about!” Kel blurted, surprising both himself and Hero. “I don’t want to perform at the recital! That’s why I threw my trumpet!”  
Hero stared at Kel blankly, trying to understand his brothers words. He was silent, so Kel kept going.  
“This isn’t fun anymore, Hero!” he said through forming tears. “And now my grades are falling and Mom and Dad are mad but I have to practice! All the time! But despite all the practicing I can’t get it right!” He stared down at his trembling fingers.  
“Kel… you should’ve told me that.” Hero said softly.  
“What, were you just gonna cancel the recital?” Kel muttered, crossing his arms.  
“Kel, you can tell me anything. I care about you more then I care about the recital.” Hero insisted. He looked… sad. Kel stared at Hero, his thoughts rushing.  
“Then why make me practice so hard?” he objected.  
“I just wanted you to be good at the trumpet.” Hero said softly.  
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m not good enough already?!”  
“Kel, don’t put words in my mouth.”  
“Just leave me alone!” Kel yelled, his hands reaching out. He pushed Hero, who’s form flew back.  
He fell toward the stairs  
And his head  
Slammed against the railing.  
Kel’s breath caught in his throat as blood sprayed off from the railing and onto the stairs and floor.  
“Hero?” he whispered tentatively, approaching him. “Are you okay?! You’re bleeding… do you want me to grab a bandage? Hero, say something!” His whisper broke into a desperate wail.  
“Kel… I love you.”  
And then he was gone. Kel was all alone.  
“Kel?!” a horrified voice whispered.  
No, more like not alone enough.  
Kel whirled around to face Aubrey, who was holding Basil’s photo album under her arm, her expression confused and terrified.  
“What…?”  
“It was an accident! I pushed Hero and his head hit the railing… He’s been practicing a lot… he’s tired! He must be asleep, yeah, yeah… cmon, we gotta get him to his bed!”  
“Kel.”  
“Cmon, help me lift! Don’t just stand there!”  
“Kel!”  
The two stared at each other for a moment.  
“He’s gone, Kel.”  
Kel sank to his knees and buried his head in his hands. His vision was going all white and fuzzy; he could barely hear anything over the ringing in his ears. Aubrey shook him.  
“Kel, I know it was an accident, but no one else is gonna believe that. We have to- we… we have to-“ Her gaze fell on the kitchen knife a little ways away from Hero’s body. “I saw this on a documentary my dad was watching. I know what I have to do.”  
Kel watched in horror as Aubrey dove the knife into’s Hero’s body several times. Then she stood up, biting her lip to stop tears from flowing. He wanted to speak up, to object, to yell. But he couldn’t get past the growing lump in his throat. Aubrey shoved the photo album into his hands.  
“Here. You take this. I’m gonna go call for help.”  
Kel barely managed to get up the stairs. He wilted slightly as he reached his room and stared at Hero’s bed. His gaze grew darker and darker until he grabbed a Sharpie from his brothers desk and opened his photo album. One by one, each photo was defaced.  
He didn’t deserve these happy memories. He didn’t deserve his friends. He should’ve been the one to die today.  
“What are you doing?!” Aubrey’s shrill voice objected from the doorway. Kel froze and dropped the marker.  
“I- it-“ To Kel’s surprise, she stormed right past him.  
“Stay away from Kel, do you hear me?”  
“Who… are you talking to…?” Aubrey’s gaze grew fearful.  
“Can’t you see it? SOMETHING behind you?”  
“…Huh?”  
“You wouldn’t push Hero. You wouldn’t ruin the photo album. It had to be something else. It had to be SOMETHING.”  
“What does it look like?!”  
“It’s this big, black gaping hand with an eye in the middle!” Kel shrank back, terrified of this creature he could now see.  
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”  
“Everything is going to be okay, Kel.”

Kel woke up, his breathing ragged. He took a moment to quietly sob, the memory of the day Hero died as vivid as his dreams. Then he stood up and looked around.  
The house carried an odd, electric atmosphere. Something was wrong.  
No, SOMETHING was here.  
Kel slowly walked into the hallway. He stared up the ladder, with moonlight pouring from the now open trapdoor. His hands unwillingly balled into fists. He’d have to face Aubrey. 

Would you like to save Aubrey?  
>Yes  
No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is completely unrelated to the fic but!!! I have a Kel x Aubrey fic in development hell (writers block) and I don’t know if it’ll ever be posted. So I’m taking this opportunity to announce their ship name is officially Wildfire you cannot change my mind okay bye


	10. Screw naming my chapters the same thing over and over again I’m going to admit I’m unoriginal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
> .  
> Į̴̢͈͎̭̱̮̠̣̭̐̃̈́́̂̌͝T̹͕̙̟̣̫̩̱̙͛͐͒̿̚͝͡ͅ’̫͔͔͓̬͖̳̃͑̉͒̂̎̀̒̕͟͟͝ͅS̖̼̤̪͎̗͙̋̀̌̿͌̌̑͟͜ N̡̟̦͇͒̽͒̐͢͞͝O̷̜͍̫̼̱̭̳͔̪͑̓͂̈͘͢T̶͇̹̖̱̋̋̂̉͜͡ͅ Ö̧͖̖̺̻̺̉̊͋̂͝ͅK̸̘̹̪͉̊͆͊͛̍̀̋̅̕͟͝A̙̻̜͔͉͕͔̾̽̓͒̊̿̓Ȳ̷͔̭̣̬̥̼̬̜̀̄̈͑̕͢.̛̥̺̖̥͓̍̂̾̃͛͆̏͜ W̥͉̞̩͉͇͐̆̿͆̔͊̓͊͗͘͢H̢̪̳͔͂̆́̋̔ͅY̸̧̼̙̭͎̌̒̍͛̋͗͊ͅ M̴̹̰̪̣̼͇̿̈̇͊͒̉̍ͅƯ̹͓̻͎͉̋̇̏̕͞S̡̨̧̩̹̺̳̍̅͒͆̈̈̒̋͌̚͟T̬͙̻̥͈͑̒̋̿́́ Y̡̛̰̠̣͚̻̖̘͉̅̔͊̋̏̌̑̒͟͞O̶̫͈̪̲̫͇̞͙͌̾̒̌̅̋ͅṶ̶̼̜̥̜͕͓̞̬̀͋̚͘̚͜ Ļ̵̫̭̪͕͙̰̪̇͗͑́̕͞ͅI̖͙̹̤̩̻͒̅̽̇̾̀̏͆͑͠ͅĘ̴̛̜̼̭̝̞̜͉͓͌̋͑̀̍͛ T̷͕̮̮̹̳̫̗͖̉͑͒͒̒Õ̢̪̫͎̪̩̣̂̇̑̿ Y̡̬͓̳̻̍̿̉̐̑̌̔̓̕͟Ō̢͔̠̝̙̋̄͘̕Ṳ̴̧͔̬̭̆͊̊̉̄͠ͅŖ̷̢̢̡̜̙̩̦̏͂͒̄̓̄͠͠S̵̨̧̺̟̥̮̟͓̉̒̀̾̏͢Ẽ̞̪̤͍̗̅̽̒̾͌̉͋͟͠Ľ̻͖̰̳̪̔̉͛͊̄̊̿̚͡F̢̢̢̧͇̊̈̽̃͑̊̽̄͢͡?̟̺̟͈̙̒͌̓́̎͟ W̸̧̡̛̯͙͇͖̼̗̽̇̒́̓̅̀̅Ơ̶̫͉̺̥͕͖̩̎͛̽͒͐͝͡U̶̹̩͓̯͖͚̪̿͊͊̈́͂͌͊L̡̨̳̩͇̹̳̼̳̎̈́̏̈́̃̓̅͌̎ͅD̶̢͉̻̣̱͙̗͔̼̓̈́͋̇̽͊͒͂̏͞ Ĥ̸̛̰̯̟̱̥̍̉̿̓͘͟͜͠ͅE͉̪͈̝̯̦͉͌͐̎͂̚͘͟R̷̲̭̻̜̫̔̈̂̽̄͂̉̽͝Ǫ̵̗̜̞͚̬̣̥̻̬͑̑͗̈́̂̑͝ Ẉ̢̥͕̻̽͑̄̓̚A̮̹͍͚̺̻̎̊̽̌̏̾͡ͅṄ̴̛̯̲̰͙̙͈̥̍̐̿̊͘͢͡T̷̡̛̻̳̘̟͐̊̏͒͊͢͞ͅ T̵͙̭̱͉̥̤̻̩̒͋̂̾̿̾̕H̢̹̞̳̲̯̗̱̔̆͌͐̉̉͒̏I̧̮̫͔̰͔̺̣̯͂̃̀̓͗͢͝S͔͖̹̜̦̘̤̭̩̄͂̄͂͂̈̈́̆̃̚ͅ?̵̯̬̱̬̟̾̽̈̾͗͑̉  
> .  
> .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may notice it’s not a Tuesday, for those who’ve gotten used to my update schedule. However, if you read the updated summary, I’ve been released from my prison and I am going apeshit. Not even an update schedule can contain me. So, depending on your time zone, Sunday/Monday chapter.

Kel’s hand grabbed on to a rung on the ladder. He slowly pushed himself up. Sure, he was AFARID of facing Aubrey, but it surely couldn’t be that bad, right?  
He pushed himself up and into Aubrey’s room, where Aubrey was standing. She turned at the noise.  
And for a moment, the two locked eyes.  
“Kel.” Aubrey whispered, staring at Kel. SOMETHING pulsed around her, its hands reaching out toward Kel. He took a few steps back, breathing heavily. He couldn’t help but notice the bat she was holding in her hands, newly affixed nails shining in the moonlight.  
“Aubrey.” Kel replied, his voice tense. “I-“  
“You don’t need to say anything.” Aubrey insisted, cutting him off. “You came back for me, right? You came back to save me, just like how I saved you.”  
“Saved?” Kel echoed, his voice hostile.  
“From SOMETHING.” she continued. “I… I saw it, for all the times you were together with everyone. It’s here right now. I’m… it’s going to hurt the others.”  
“Aubrey, please, listen.” Kel begged.  
“Shh. Everything’s going to be okay. I know how to get rid of SOMETHING.” She gripped the wooden bat. Kel’s eyes widened, and he tried to get out of the room. As he turned to exit, though, he saw SOMETHING close the trapdoor and push a box on top of it.  
He couldn’t escape.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” Aubrey whispered, her tone dangerous. “Are you going to leave me? AGAIN? Go back to the others and let SOMETHING kill them like it killed Hero?” Aubrey grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. “No. NO. I’m getting rid of SOMETHING, whether you like it or not. I’m saving you and EVERYONE ELSE!” Kel let out a terrified whimper, struggling against Aubrey’s ironclad grasp.  
“Everything is going to be okay, Kel. WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?!”  
You enter into a fight with Aubrey.  
Everything is going to be okay.  
Aubrey bashes you with her bat.  
Everything is going to be okay.  
The pain is blinding. Your vision is fuzzy.  
Everything is going to be okay.  
Aubrey keeps hitting you.  
Everything will be okay.  
The pain is growing worse.  
Everything will be okay.  
You try to run.  
Everything will be okay.  
SOMETHING won’t let you.  
Everything will be okay.  
You try to CALM DOWN.  
You are STRESSED OUT. 

.  
.  
Į̴̢͈͎̭̱̮̠̣̭̐̃̈́́̂̌͝T̹͕̙̟̣̫̩̱̙͛͐͒̿̚͝͡ͅ’̫͔͔͓̬͖̳̃͑̉͒̂̎̀̒̕͟͟͝ͅS̖̼̤̪͎̗͙̋̀̌̿͌̌̑͟͜ N̡̟̦͇͒̽͒̐͢͞͝O̷̜͍̫̼̱̭̳͔̪͑̓͂̈͘͢T̶͇̹̖̱̋̋̂̉͜͡ͅ Ö̧͖̖̺̻̺̉̊͋̂͝ͅK̸̘̹̪͉̊͆͊͛̍̀̋̅̕͟͝A̙̻̜͔͉͕͔̾̽̓͒̊̿̓Ȳ̷͔̭̣̬̥̼̬̜̀̄̈͑̕͢.̛̥̺̖̥͓̍̂̾̃͛͆̏͜ W̥͉̞̩͉͇͐̆̿͆̔͊̓͊͗͘͢H̢̪̳͔͂̆́̋̔ͅY̸̧̼̙̭͎̌̒̍͛̋͗͊ͅ M̴̹̰̪̣̼͇̿̈̇͊͒̉̍ͅƯ̹͓̻͎͉̋̇̏̕͞S̡̨̧̩̹̺̳̍̅͒͆̈̈̒̋͌̚͟T̬͙̻̥͈͑̒̋̿́́ Y̡̛̰̠̣͚̻̖̘͉̅̔͊̋̏̌̑̒͟͞O̶̫͈̪̲̫͇̞͙͌̾̒̌̅̋ͅṶ̶̼̜̥̜͕͓̞̬̀͋̚͘̚͜ Ļ̵̫̭̪͕͙̰̪̇͗͑́̕͞ͅI̖͙̹̤̩̻͒̅̽̇̾̀̏͆͑͠ͅĘ̴̛̜̼̭̝̞̜͉͓͌̋͑̀̍͛ T̷͕̮̮̹̳̫̗͖̉͑͒͒̒Õ̢̪̫͎̪̩̣̂̇̑̿ Y̡̬͓̳̻̍̿̉̐̑̌̔̓̕͟Ō̢͔̠̝̙̋̄͘̕Ṳ̴̧͔̬̭̆͊̊̉̄͠ͅŖ̷̢̢̡̜̙̩̦̏͂͒̄̓̄͠͠S̵̨̧̺̟̥̮̟͓̉̒̀̾̏͢Ẽ̞̪̤͍̗̅̽̒̾͌̉͋͟͠Ľ̻͖̰̳̪̔̉͛͊̄̊̿̚͡F̢̢̢̧͇̊̈̽̃͑̊̽̄͢͡?̟̺̟͈̙̒͌̓́̎͟ W̸̧̡̛̯͙͇͖̼̗̽̇̒́̓̅̀̅Ơ̶̫͉̺̥͕͖̩̎͛̽͒͐͝͡U̶̹̩͓̯͖͚̪̿͊͊̈́͂͌͊L̡̨̳̩͇̹̳̼̳̎̈́̏̈́̃̓̅͌̎ͅD̶̢͉̻̣̱͙̗͔̼̓̈́͋̇̽͊͒͂̏͞ Ĥ̸̛̰̯̟̱̥̍̉̿̓͘͟͜͠ͅE͉̪͈̝̯̦͉͌͐̎͂̚͘͟R̷̲̭̻̜̫̔̈̂̽̄͂̉̽͝Ǫ̵̗̜̞͚̬̣̥̻̬͑̑͗̈́̂̑͝ Ẉ̢̥͕̻̽͑̄̓̚A̮̹͍͚̺̻̎̊̽̌̏̾͡ͅṄ̴̛̯̲̰͙̙͈̥̍̐̿̊͘͢͡T̷̡̛̻̳̘̟͐̊̏͒͊͢͞ͅ T̵͙̭̱͉̥̤̻̩̒͋̂̾̿̾̕H̢̹̞̳̲̯̗̱̔̆͌͐̉̉͒̏I̧̮̫͔̰͔̺̣̯͂̃̀̓͗͢͝S͔͖̹̜̦̘̤̭̩̄͂̄͂͂̈̈́̆̃̚ͅ?̵̯̬̱̬̟̾̽̈̾͗͑̉  
.  
.

You sink to your knees, your vision is growing fuzzy.  
All you can do is hold your bloody arm as you lose consciousness.  
Nothing will ever be okay. 

Kel wakes up in his bed.  
For a minute, he’s relieved. Were those past three days all a bad dream?  
No. This is a dream too. Hero’s bed is still here.  
Thankfully, so is his arm.  
Kel pulls himself out of his bed and into the hallway. The house is filled with a trilling saxophone, which gets louder as Kel gets to the source.  
Hero’s there.  
Kel’s brown eyes well with tears, and he takes a step forward. Hero puts his saxophone down and stares at Kel, a smile slowly spreading across his lips.  
“Hey, little brother.” he said. Kel’s limbs sagged with grief. “You’ve gone through so much, and I couldn’t be there to help you. There’s just a little bit more to go, now.” He took Kel’s hand and stared at him determinedly. “I believe in you, little brother.” Hero faded away, and all Kel was holding was air.  
He walked down the stairs. The railing where Hero had been killed was clean, but Kel could still see the stain in his mind. He stopped in front of an out of the way closet.  
He opened the door and approached the toy box. Kel lifted up the toy box and grabbed the key from under it, then unlocked it. There was a broken, unplayable trumpet, and torn sheet music.  
Despite himself, Kel grabbed them, cradling them gently in his arms. The trumpet was one of his biggest regrets. Maybe if he hadn’t threw it, Hero would… he’d still be…  
Trumpet and sheet music in hand, Kel left his house. His feet brought him toward Aubrey’s house. Who would be there, the real Aubrey or the dream one? That question was answered quickly. He saw Aubrey in Basil’s yard, watering flowers. She saw him coming, and turned to him, a sad smile on her face.  
“Hi.” she said quietly. She clearly wasn’t sure how to proceed. “I’m… sorry. For what happened that day. For what I did. It didn’t do either of us any good, did it? We’ve had to live with so much pain… and so have Mari, Sunny, and Basil. We’ve all already gone through so much… this part will be the easiest.” She gave him a small, encouraging smile. Kel let himself smile too, his first real one in years.  
He kept walking. Soon, he was on a rainy, dark highway, the only light being provided by street lamps. He stood under one and closed his eyes. His mind whisked him away to a memory. A good one.  
Kel opened his eyes. He was standing in the rain again, but now he had protection in the form of a bright orange raincoat. Basil and Hero were talking about something.  
“Ah, um, Hero.” Basil began, pawing nervously at a loose strand of blonde hair. “I’ve been thinking about dying my hair.” Hero brightened, looking at Basil with an encouraging smile.  
“Oh, really? That sounds cool! What color would you pick?” At Hero’s encouragement, Basil relaxed, giving a small smile.  
“I was thinking green. You know, like plants. Do you think it would look good?”  
“Of course! When are you planning on dying it?”  
“Probably not for a while… my parents aren’t around much, but if they saw me with dyed hair they’d be really mad, probably.”  
“Well, what about this? What if I dye my hair… hm, blue? My parents would also be pretty mad, but I bet it would be reassuring to have backup!”  
As the pair were talking, Mari snatched up Basil’s camera. She took a picture of the two in animated conversation, giggling slightly. When they heard the sound of a camera going off, they turned to Mari.  
“Wh- Mari!” Basil cried. He scrambled toward her. She grinned cheekily.  
“What? I thought it would be a good photo op!”  
“You could’ve ruined my camera!”  
“But I didn’t!”  
Kel huddled over Basil’s shoulder eagerly. “I wanna see the picture!”  
“Quit getting water all over my camera!” Basil cried, quickly stowing away his camera in his carrying case.  
“Kel, would you wanna dye your hair?” Hero questioned. Kel thought for a moment.  
“What color would I dye it, though?”  
“Dye it pink!” Aubrey proposed, a cheeky smile on her face. Kel stuck his tongue out at her.  
“Ew! Pinks a gross color!”  
Aubrey crossed her arms. “You’re a jerk! And you know what jerks get?” She leapt into a growing puddle of water, drenching both Kel and Sunny.  
“Oh yeah?” Kel shot back. He got a running start and jumping on a puddle, showering Aubrey with water.  
Click!  
A picture of the two puddle jumping taken.  
Kel remembered that day. That day was cold, but it felt warmer with his friends there.  
The trumpet mended a part of itself.  
Kel stood under another light. He closed his eyes again, and when he opened them, he was in Hobbezz.  
“Wow!” he cheered. “Look, they have the new edition of Capt. Spaceboy, just like Sunny said!”  
“Was waiting for you two, so we could read it together.” he said quietly. Aubrey beamed at this. Kel would be lying if he said he didn’t feel jealous.  
He grabbed the comic, staring at it eagerly.  
“Does, uh, anyone have enough to buy it this time?” Aubrey said. Both boys shook their heads. “Man!” Kel opened the comic, and the two huddled around him.  
“Last time on Capt. Spaceboy,” Kel read, his voice full of wonder.  
Click!  
A photo of the three eagerly reading the comic taken.  
Kel remembered the feeling of the comic in his hands. The warmth of his friends huddling around him, all excited for their favorite comic. He idly wondered what the comics were about now.  
The trumpet mended a part of itself.  
Another streetlight was stood under, his brown eyes closed once again. When he opened them, he was in Mari and Sunny’s house, standing next to Mari’s grand piano.  
“Hero tells me you’re improving.” Mari said kindly. He nodded, smiling. “That’s great news! You know, while the boys are getting snacks, I’d like to mention something.” Kel tilted his head, shifting his attention to Mari and away from his reflection in the piano. “I’m glad you took up trumpet. I bet Sunny would’ve quit if one of his friends wasn’t also playing an instrument.” Kel beamed at that.  
“We’re back!” Hero called, walking into the room holding a snack tray.  
“Aubrey and Basil came.” Sunny added. “Wanted to see us practice.” Basil was beside him, and he raised his camera.  
“I’m hoping to get some good pictures, aha.” he said.  
“I just wanna see you play!” Aubrey announced fervently.  
Basil raised his camera. “Hey, Hero, Mari, can you two stand next to each other and play your instruments!”  
“Oh! That sounds like a good picture!” Mari replied. She sat down on her velvet piano chair while Hero brought out his saxophone. He inserted the reed into the instrument and played a scale, and Mari did the same.  
Click!  
“You guys sound great!” Aubrey announced.  
“Can you and Sunny stand next to each other and also play your instruments?” Basil questioned, addressing Kel. “I wanna get pictures of all four of you playing.” Sunny gave a thumbs up and picked up his violin from the case, while Kel lifted his trumpet. Basil raised his camera, and both played. Sunny just a series of notes, while Kel attempted a scale. He noticed bitterly it didn’t sound as good as Hero’s.  
Click!  
A picture of the pair playing. Sunny looked at peace, while Kel looked fiercely determined.  
He remembered seeing Aubrey’s awed look. He remembered thinking he wanted to do great at the recital, because he didn’t want to disappoint his friends.  
A bittersweet memory.  
The trumpet mended a part of itself.  
Kel continued walking through the rain, it slowly soaking through his clothes. It was fine, though. The trumpet and sheet music stayed dry.  
He stood under the last street light, and closed his eyes with a shivering breath.  
He was on someone’s shoulder.  
That was the first thing Kel noticed when he had bothered to drift back into consciousness.  
The recital was growing nearer, and Hero was making him practice more rigorously. He was exhausted, and sometimes he got raging headaches after he was finished practicing from playing so much.  
He didn’t notice he had fell asleep, but that was fine. He wanted a moment to rest. Though, his curiosity got the best of him, and he cautiously opened his eyes. Hero, Mari, Sunny, and Basil were sitting at the picnic basket, laughing. Which meant…  
His gaze drifted over to Aubrey. She wasn’t asleep, but she was also sitting there, too. She was probably just tolerating him. After all, they’d fought so many times. Kel could bet she probably wasn’t feeling all too gracious. She wouldn’t care if this moment ended.  
Kel, though? He’d be fine with staying here forever.  
He let his eyes drift closed again, keeping his breathing steady. The warmth he felt was different then the kind he felt when he was bundled under a blanket. It was the kind he felt deep in his chest.  
“Oh, look at Kel and Aubrey!” Mari pointed out, giggling slightly. Kel’s eyes were closed, but he could bet Aubrey looked cross.  
“I don’t wanna move! He looks so comfy…” she objected.  
“Hmm.” Basil said aloud. Kel heard a noise of someone grabbing something.  
Click!  
A picture of Kel resting on Aubrey’s shoulder, seemingly asleep.  
He’d remember that moment for the rest of his life.  
The trumpet mended a part of itself.  
All of the streetlights flickered off. There was only a door left. Kel’s hand opened the door, holding the mended trumpet and whole sheet music gingerly, not wanting to drop them.  
There were his friends.  
Basil, Mari, and Sunny, each looking at him with a sad look. Mari pushed back a strand of black hair and spoke.  
“Hey Kel.” she said, giving one of her token smiles. It was sadder then normal. “What’s ahead is… well, it’s a difficult challenge. It’s one you’re going have to get past. We believe in you, okay?”  
“We won’t leave you behind again. That’s how everything got so bad.” Basil said, his sky blue eyes shimmering with sadness.  
Sunny said nothing, but he grabbed Kel’s hand and stared at him encouragingly. Everyone believed in him.  
“We’ll all stay together. We’re friends, aren’t we?” Basil added, giving a small, sad smile.  
Kel blinked, and when he opened his eyes, the current versions of his friends were looking back at him. Mari extended a hand, which Kel took. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.  
“Now that we’ve reconnected, we’re stronger then ever.”  
Kel let go of Mari’s hand. He was still smiling, ultimately. A new fire coursed through him. He walked up the wooden stairs, his friends waving at his retreating figure. 

…The stage is ready for you. Would you like to play?  
>Yes  
No

Kel sucked in a large breath and the first note of the song he never got to play came out. It was clean and crisp, brassy and echoey.  
Kel kept going.  
He kept playing, determination coursing through his mind. Maybe he hadn’t forgotten this song after all. Some part of him had been itching to play it all these years. He just wished Hero could be alongside him.  
He finished. After all these years, he finally played this long agonized song perfectly.  
Kel knew, somewhere, Hero was there. And he was proud.  
Maybe for a moment, Kel could let himself be proud of himself too.  
He lowered his trumpet. There was one last thing he had to do before the truth could be revealed. One last demon he had to conquer.  
One last foe he had to defeat.  
Kel opened a newly appeared door, and took a hesitant breath. Then he walked into WHITE SPACE.  
There, facing him with a basketball in his hand, was Hikikel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, there’s two more chapters left, despite the Hikikel fight and the ending being able to fit into one chapter. Hm. Whatever could this mean?
> 
> Ơ̴͉̱̪̪͈̰̏̇̇̆́́́̔y̡͓̝͙̠̤͍͑̐̏̈̋̿͟͠͡a̴̞̙͙͕̞͉̯̪̍̾̾̊̿͛̎̽̈́͢͡š̯̖̜͍͕͍͐̿̆̆͆͂͜ͅu̶͇̳͉̅̎̈̀͆̎̄̚̚͟͜͞m̧̫̳͓̠̼̜͓̼͍͆̈́͛̉͘͘͠͡i̱̱̞͚̪̪̋́͗̃͗̂͊̇̄̀ͅͅ.̢͉̱͖͔̮̗̯͑͌͛͆̌̑̍͑̚͟͡


End file.
